Is Adobe Aware that Acrobat reader installs additional software?

I suppose so.
Always check what is ticked before confirming a page on the web.

It's aware. Adobe has offered McAfee as shovel-ware with Adobe Acrobat Reader for years.

When you went to install your Adobe Reader, you were offered the opt-out choice to also install McAfee with it. Experienced users have learned to scroll down the page and uncheck the additional install as a matter of course. But it still catches some unaware of the opt-out option further down the page. The opt-out option seems to generally fall below the screen view at the top of the page when you do your Reader install, so some argue that it's dark pattern web design and rather poor form. 

I can't argue to that. But I can relate that you're not the first to be caught unaware of the shovel-ware install. It does provide a practical lesson that you should always read the entire web page before accepting any download. Not that such attention should be required in the first place.

Randy

note, I immediately uninstalled mcafee and switched to the open source PDF reader Sumatra... won't be doing business with Adobe.