Participant

Question

Why, why WHY must I install McAfee when updating Flashplayer?

Forum|Forum|12 years ago
July 10, 2013
19 replies
31039 views

I am strugglling to KEEP McAFEE OFF MY COMPUTER and this doesn't help! I have my own security system and I resent your foisting your "marketing partner" on me without my permission. Please stop!

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Authentic7

Participating Frequently

I just simply want to post another vote in the "I'm rather disappointed in adobe" over this one. I just had to remove Macafee after a frustrating and unwanted install.

Adobe is a large, powerful and leading company. I have always trusted them at least do well by their customers (me) and on the whole provide a high quality product. These are commendable aspects of any company. That said, any company setting trends for unwanted installs goes down in credibility and in my personal trust. As others have stated on this forum, it is an intrusion, it is rude, and it should not happen with companies who provide a quality product. As for weather it is lawful or not, who cares. It is not illegal for me to curse in front of children, however common practice and moral conduct dictate that it's not really the right thing to do and parents/onlookers may get upset should i drop f-bombs all over their children. The same is true here.

Be the Adobe many users have come to know and to love. Avoid being the 3rd world, petty junk dealer. The cheap buck will only hurt you. Besides, making quality products has worked really well for you so far... you get my money every month.

Anonymous

Thank you for all this information--I was wondering how I ended up with McAfee Security Scan Plus on my computer. My problem is that I already use the regular McAfee (it is part of my provider's service) and it seemed to be screwing up the updating process for that program. In any case, I am generally pretty careful about downloads etc, but I have trusted Adobe to not use bundled services for years so I just did automatic updates. In any case, it is not really acceptable to tell users that they have to uninstall a program that they never asked for or even knew about. That's the sort of thing one would expect from a fly by night or suspicious program, not a big and supposedly respectable company like Adobe. Just saying...

Anonymous

Jerome,

I had a similar experience to the others here. I downloaded Flash using Firerfox 35.0.1 with the ABP, NoScript and Scrapbook add-ons enabled. I've done this update numerous times previously and thought I knew what to expect. I've tried various suggestions on this forum but at no time been offered the option to not install McAfee when using Firefox.

Interestingly, if I go to http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/otherversions/ in Chrome and select Windows 7 / FP 16 for firefox I'm offered (pre checked) the option to install McAfee

If I browse to the same page in Firefox and make the same choices I'm offered a free trial of Lightroom 5 instead. Disabling all my Firefox add-ons makes no difference.

Anonymous

Reading posts here it seems Adobe plainly do not want to provide details for removing McAfee software, and do not mind the time, effort and inconvenience caused to computer users by forcing McAfee installation without an option to avoid so doing. It should be obvious to any competent computer technician that operation of multiple security programs can cause computer difficulties. These difficulties are additional to Adobe's disrespect for choice and computer users' correspondence (see Wikipedia, UDHR 1948, the basis of laws for most governments). Adobe's conduct suggests they would have no difficulty installing products that "call home" with user data, without authorisation and contrary to other laws than the one mentioned below, civil and criminal.

Adobe are bound to be aware that failure to update Flash player stops the playing of browser videos from sources around the world, with browser warnings stating security vulnerabilities if Flash is not updated. Accordingly, to continue receiving video like that on Vimeo and YouTube, the upgrading of Flash in response to warnings of Flash security vulnerabilities is mandatory. That mandatory aspect of recent Flash security warnings to upgrade, an upgrade that users allow, is no excuse to insert other products or programs into a user's system, especially products an informed user does not want near their system. The proof of this position, if any proof is required, is that users do install Flash as part of their wish to see video, but have not sought to independently install McAfee software.

It is time for adobe to stop breaching statutory provisions, and start respecting user wishes to choose their own sftware and computer configuration.

LEGAL NOTICE 01Feb2015

To the executive officers, UK and international, of Adobe group of companies, and in particular their business operations departments responsible for installing McAfee software at the same time as updating generic Flash software...

You have, without my authorisation or consent, installed on my Windows 7 based computer systems your McAfee products with the result that you have impaired the operation of my computer as I had configured it, prevented and hindered access to simple and complete removal of the software you installed, and caused me time and effort when attempting to uninstall your McAfee software: all contrary to section 2 of the Computer Misue Act 1990 (UK).

You must within 48 hours publish here clear unambiguous instructions for complete and effective removal of all your McAfee software from my systems, including your files, data, cookies and registry entries, AND must confirm that you have stopped downloading unauthorised software at the same time as mandatory updates to generic Flash software. YOUR FAILURE TO DO SO SHALL WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE LEAD TO LEGAL PROCEDINGS in the UK courts, if nececessary including extradition proceedings for executives to appear for answer to proof.

Mike A

Refer to forum registration for contact details.

Anonymous

You can.

Open
http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
Uncheck the McAfee option
Download
Install

When installed select "Never Check for Update"

Job done

Found it when I Googled "Adobe Player without McAfee"

Flash Player Update without McAfee Security Scan - YouTube

jeromiec83223024

Inspiring

I look into the vast majority of the reports I see on this to make sure that the service is working as expected, and I've yet to get clear, reproducible steps (which is what I'd need to supply to the distribution team to get a fix) for a scenario where a bundled offer is installed without the checkbox checked. I'm not contesting that it happens, but I need to know how to reproduce it.

What I *have* seen is that various ad-blocking and privacy tools that change how the written JavaScript runs can cause the service to deliver you the wrong binary; however, that problem is self-inflicted, and there's not anything we can do to detect and adapt to the situation. In those scenarios, you're effectively running your own code, and its significantly different from what we wrote.

I would highly caution you against selecting Never Check for Update, as each Flash Player update does include new security fixes based on internal work, responsible contributions from security researchers, and intelligence from various partners and entities. Running old versions of Flash Player puts you at significantly increased risk for a malware infection.

Instead, if you don't want to deal with the installers, you're far, far better off (at least from a security perspective) by switching to Google Chrome, or Internet Explorer on Win8 and higher. Both browsers include Flash Player as a built-in component, so there's no separate download, and updates are handled inline with either Chrome's automatic update feature, or Windows Update respectively.

I've posted screenshots and recently, a lengthy video capture of a related testing session in similar threads (I don't have the links handy), and have not been able to reproduce this, even after diligent testing with multiple people and multiple systems, both inside and outside of Adobe's network.

If anyone does come up with reproducible steps, I'm absolutely motivated to champion this issue internally and get a timely fix. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened yet, despite the number of similar threads that have been started on the forums.

Anonymous

While I agree about venerability issue of not updating, allowing automatic updates means McAfee is installed.

The work-a-round I posted is how I was able to update mine. Therefor I can state it does work on WinXP systems. Adobe is not doing themselves any favors by including McAfee. While McAffee is not "malware, Trojan or virus", many of us have had serious problems when trying to use it and even worse issues trying to remove it.

iamlikeiam

Participant

I wrote this for the Adobe;

I am at least 15 years using this service always asked me if I want or not McAfee but not anymore I hate sneaking without asking my permission

I like Adobe and I am not new to Adobe. Adobe has been pushing McAfee and others, I know to uncheck the boxes when I go to their website. But this time no option not to install it. Why doing that? Because of that I never ever want to McAfee in my computer and I am 65 years old in our business my children paying so much money to use professionally adobe products why you do not leave home user alone??? You give me terrible time for stoping me to enjoy how many minutes I left stolen my golden minutes to deal with I am crying I wasn't so lucky like you I got the computer very late age and learnt how to use it even many bad things around internet I know good and honestly programer too <3 <3 <3 why you want to disappoint me?? Now please stop that and help me to uninstall the McAfee give me space of that may I will like it again...

jeffweico

Participant

I have to agree. I just had Adobe tell me to update Flash player and it installed McAfee. I was NOT given an option not to do this. Uninstalling it is not a big deal, but it WAS annoying.

I have used Adobe products for years, the first one was Adobe PostScript. Back then there was no internet and you bought software in a store, or from a catalog. It was also a lot more expensive back then. I have also used Illustrator and others. So, I like Adobe and I am not new to Adobe.

Adobe has been pushing McAfee and other Products for years now, I know to uncheck the boxes when I go to their website. But this time I was given no option not to install it.

I am not posting this to get into a fight with anyone on the forum or to complain about Adobe, they are a good company. If I owned a products that updated several times per year and millions of people used, I would probably be looking for a way to monetize it too. So, I get that. I am not a communist.

But I wanted to make my feelings known because Adobe is going to end up ruining their good name with things like this, especially when it comes to anti-virus software. I have had some nasties on my system over the years and some of the worst viruses are so tricky, then can take several hours to get rid of. In order to try to avoid that, I use the best possible (in my opinion) anti-virus program available and it is not McAfee. Not that McAfee is bad, but it is nowhere near the top of most people's lists.

To be clear, it did not interfere with BitDefender, but the POTENTIAL is there when dealing with anti-virus programs. And that is what scares me. The last thing I would need is to somehow have BitDefender turned off and then get some nasty virus that would take hours and hours to remove and require me editing the registry to accomplish the removal. So, this is much more annoying to me than if they were trying to push another Adobe product, or something innocuous like a video or music player or something.

I want to reiterate, I am NOT upset enough to stop using Adobe, I am NOT suing anyone, contacting newspapers, Senators or anything like that. I'm not trying to make anyone angry. It is simply my hope that the people at Adobe see this and take it into consideration when making these decisions in the future. Obviously, since I found this thread and others, I am not the only person this has happened to, so my guess would be that it IS an issue.

MoBioph

Participant

Please make like Belize and strive toward the absence of McAfee. Consider familiarity with McAfee. Done? It’s easy to see why familiarity breeds contempt, now, isn’t it? Contrarywise, consider the absence of McAfee. Alrighty? It’s hard to support the notion that absence makes the heart grow fonder, now, isn’t it? Now consider the evidence of intelligent life in the Universe. Ah, forget it. That’s just unBELIZEable.

Anyhow, I was prompted to update Adobe Flash Player this morning, in response to which, I deselected the default installation of whatever McAfee bicycle was being peddled today, and continued on with low expectations that were thoroughly met when the latest update for Adobe Flash Player failed to install. As luck would have it, thankfully, I just don’t care.

jimguess

Participant

Hello everyone ...

First, I just want to let the staff at Adobe know I thoroughly appreciate your providing these programs for us to download and use at no cost. I understand the programs that use your code probably pay some royalty to you for the convenience. I am also OK with that.

Having said that, I have the same problem. It just happened for me.

Windows 7 Pro, etc, etc.

Went to the screen shown above (comment #6 by CF McBlob) to download and install Adobe Flash Player.

Then a file of this name downloads.

install_flashplayer11x32_ltr5x64d_awc_aih.exe

I actually copied the file from my Download folder into a new folder location for testing.

Then I execute this file. There is NO prompt to not select McAfee Security Scan Plus. NONE.

I already have McAfee SecurityCenter on my computer. The installation software for McAfee Security Scan Plus should find it and NOT install.

Secondly, when you run the above named file, it is PROMPTLY DELETED from the folder in which you placed it and from which you executed it. Why?

I did this two or three times just to make sure. I had the folder open and watched it disappear when the software was running.

To reiterate, the prompt to NOT install McAfee Security Scan Plus is totally non-existent.

This is on the Adobe site - and is an Adobe created file.

Adobe needs to make some changes.

AlanS5100

Inspiring

Dear Adobe staffers,

You have known about this for months, but I am still receiving no opt-out for McAfee Security Scan Plus.

Mike M has pointed out that it can corrupt an OS in the presence of certain software. IMO, mandatory download of such a program constitutes malware. In my case, it is just very annoying, as I cannot use my machine with McAfee products on it and I have to uninstall McAfee Security Scan Plus via Windows: Control Panel: Programs: Programs and Features and use McAfee Consumer Product Removal Tool to complete the removal. Apart from greed, why would you want to annoy users?

I am prepared to accept that the lack of an opt-out may initially have been an oversight, but the continued distribution of malware by Adobe is inexcusable.

Please can we have an official response, pronto? Or do I have to write to the CEO or go to the media about this?

ajBeechwood

Participant

I must say I totally agree with the original post. I can't think what Adobe are trying to achieve by this. Well, of course I can... make a little money on the side. But at the expense of irritating a lot of people in the process. Sure, put a banner for McAfee on the download page, or on the page that comes up after Flashplayer is installed. Even have it as an opt-in checkbox choice on the downloads page.

But, probably like everyone else, once or twice a year, I miss unchecking the darn box and have to abort the download. And deal with conflicts on colleagues PCs who've not noticed the checkbox. McAfee also "mysteriously" turned up on my partners laptop and I suspect this is where she got it from as she never purposefully downloaded it. Etc...

The standard defense is that people can opt out. Yeah, they can. And in an ideal world, when an "update now" dialog pops up on screen and you follow thru on that to update the software, you read and consider every word on every message on every page during the process, and never, never just click on the big shiny update now button. Right.

Having an additional download option on by default is simply because if it was off by default, there would be less downloads. Why? Because people who didn't notice the option would not end up installing it. But surely with something like this it should be an informed choice, a choice for the people who have read the page fully? Opt-out is used for stuff you want people to agree to, but think they wouldn't opt in given a clearer more considered choice, so you make up numbers with the ones who don't notice the opt-out.

Come on Adobe! You're better than this.

(If any staffers think this is an unreasonable comment, try putting another couple of questions on the poll on success page asking if people realised they'd installed McAfee and if they wanted it at all)

C_F_McBlob

Inspiring

Well, this was an eye opener for me. I've been using and updating Flash Player since 1998, and this is the first time I've ever seen it install McAfee in an update without a opt out. Several years ago, working for Intuit, I was tasked with testing a number of anti-virus apps to see how they affected connectivity for online tax filing. I learned a lot about McAfee, Norton, Panda and AVG during that four months...

McAfee is harder than a virus to remove. You have to go in to the registry and manually delete keys and at least four separate reboots are required to get it to quit running at startup so you can finally delete the last of the folders that won't and don't delete during a Control Panel uninstall. It didn't play too well with otthers, constantly treating Norton like a virus.

Norton is almost as bad, but it fared much worse in the "intrusiveness" and "protecting you from yourself" categories. I will never have software that overrides my administrator status, and tells me I can't do something I know damn well I want or need to do. I also don't like it arbitrarily removing downloads that I know are safe. It did work with Panda and AVG installed alongside it, though.

Panda destroyed an OS when it was installed alongside McAfee, and I swore I'd never touch it on a system I owned.

AVG was the most user friendly, and woukd warn about multiple a/v on one system.

The one thing I found most important about my testing was tha you DON'T mix a/v apps under any circumstances.

For Adobe to "sneak" McAfee in like I saw here, can be a PC killer if someone has Kaspersky, MalwareBytes or Panda installed... TrendMicro too I think, but I can't say for sure.

I did the screenshot'd installon an old machine I'm getting ready to gut, so it didn't matter if it broke it. I'm reformatting the C drive and using it for file storage. But I'm sure someone would be understandably pissed if this took out their office computer and they lost a couple years worth of QuickBooks data.

C_F_McBlob

Inspiring

It's NOT (absolutely NOT) foisted upon you without your permission.
Understand that there is a little box you simply click to uncheck and it neither downloads nor installs.

Now, before you go saying "I don't have time to uncheck a box"... you had time to log in, find the right forum and post a complaint to fellow users (we don't work for Adobe here in the forums... most of us anyway). That took a lot longer than unchecking a box.

Dami11Author

Participant

Firstly, thanks for the response.

Secondly, I've had an account with Adobe for years. Not a new one.

Thirdly, nowhere in the download/install procedure did I see an option to NOT download the McAfee software. Granted I kinda zipped right through it the first time and there is a chance that I still missed it. I have seen that option in the past and definitely unchecked it, but I do not recall seeing that box this time. Hence my perturbation. If I am mistaken, my apologies. I went through the procedure a second time (and carefully read the installation instructions (in which there is no mention of McAfee)) up to the actual download.

Fourthly, I realize few users here are actually employees, but I do know that employees read the forums and will respond. I'm actually not looking for their response, since it's after the fact, but perhaps they'll see my complaint and decide to make the additional software download choice more prominent.

Again, thanks for the response.