McAfee Security Scan Plus

[HTML5_video]

New computer, installed Firefox, went to get Flash Player for Firefox.

Install the plugin, Firefox warning comes up about software trying to be installed, click "allow", install window pops up, 3;2;1, click install.

Adobe Download Manager comes up downloads Flash Player, Adobe Flash install programs starts, need to close Firefox to continue

Flash installed, McAfee Security Scan Plus installed.....

Huh? What? McAfee Security Scan Plus????

Their was no notification that McAfee Security Scan Plus was going to be installed.  Their was no check box.

I am an IT guy.  I dont get viruses. I dont fall for scams. I dont get phished.  I dont click "yes" on anything that pops up on my screen.  I fix all my family and freinds computers.  I build my own computers, I havent bought a premade pc from a company in over 15 years.  I am a Linux system admin.

When I install software, like Flash player, I read everything that pops up on my screen, except for the full EULA.

I cant wait till HTML5 becomes standard.  Then the world can rid itself of this resource hog and now apprently also a virus.

Adobe Flash did not notify me McAfee Security Scan Plus was being installed untill after it was installed.

[liquidcrystalvision]

This really is bullshit adobe.  You know very well hiding the checkbox over on the right is a sneaky way of forcing unwanted software on your users.  You should be ashamed.  I agree with the above poster: Adobe doesn't stand a chance in the fight against Apple as long as it keeps up this kind of behavior.

[PeterL7]

Why do we need a Download Manager at all?

It made sense when downloading a 50Mb Java Development kit over dialup.

It makes no sense at all now days, when I'm downloading a couple of Mb on ADSL.

The only apparent reason that Adobe uses the DLM for Reader is to bundle unwanted software.

PLEASE DITCH THE DLM!

[JohnRHorb]

We have blocked access to the Adobe download site at our company firewall. We now download any new version of the Reader from Adobe's FTP site, and make available on a shared drive. This appears to be the only secure way of avoiding getting Mcafee Security Scan and, for that matter, Adobe Air, as there is NO indication or tick box on the reader download site. I have found that accessing the site via Chrome DOES access the unadulterated download, but our company standard is IE.

This IS going to lose Adobe a lot of goodwill.

[pwillener]

JohnRHorb wrote:

We have blocked access to the Adobe download site at our company firewall. We now download any new version of the Reader from Adobe's FTP site...

This is the Flash Player forum; there are no Flash Player downloads from the Adobe FTP site.  (But you can get uncompromised FP installers from http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/fp_distribution3.html)

[KingofCookies]

Where do I begin... the anger... the frustration...

We support ~700 machines, and keeping Flash and Reader up to date is pretty much one of my full time job descriptions now.  We leverage LANDesk to deploy software automatically, and we let it update Flash automatically this time.

So imagine my surprise when we discovered the majority of our internet bandwidth was going to 207.114.197.70-94.  "Holy carp!" we proclaimed.  TRACK DOWN THOSE IPS!!! WHO OWNS THEM!  Are our machines compromised?!?  I did a reverse lookup and they're not listed as owned by anyone other than an ISP.  I searched and searched and searched and finally:

ping download.mcafee.com

Reply from 207.114.197.89: bytes=32 time=16ms TTL=55

...

It's *!@#&$32#$ MCAFEE BECAUSE OF THE FLASH UPDATE.  Adobe's update with McAfee managed to consume a large chunk of our internet bandwidth.  Early reports show they didn't actually install McAfee, thank god.  Suffice to say I loathe Adobe and their never ending updates and their disingenuous software plugs.

I'm going to place the entire set of IPs in this post for searchability.  Sorry for the noise - but it was hard to track down the IPs so if anyone else experiences the same issue hopefully the search engines will lead them to this post.

207.114.197.70

207.114.197.71

207.114.197.72

207.114.197.73

207.114.197.74

207.114.197.75

207.114.197.76

207.114.197.77

207.114.197.78

207.114.197.79

207.114.197.80

207.114.197.81

207.114.197.82

207.114.197.83

207.114.197.84

207.114.197.85

207.114.197.86

207.114.197.87

207.114.197.88

207.114.197.89

207.114.197.90

207.114.197.91

207.114.197.92

207.114.197.93

207.114.197.94

[pwillener]

KingofCookies wrote:

We support ~700 machines, and keeping Flash and Reader up to date is pretty much one of my full time job descriptions now.

Well, do you actually download the installer with McAfee, or the clean executable installer(s)?

[PeterL7]

Great, thanks for those IPs. "hosts" here we come!

On a side note, I don't actually understand how McAfee is still going? Do people actually get 'feared' insto buying it? I did note Intel have bought it - don't know whether that's a good thing or not...

http://newsroom.mcafee.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=3678

[Guest]

Please note that the IP of download.mcafee.com has apparently been changed to a different range.

See below:

> ping download.mcafee.com

Pinging a2047.x.akamai.net [157.238.74.249] with 32 bytes of data:

              Reply from 157.238.74.249: bytes=32 time=29ms TTL=56

              Reply from 157.238.74.249: bytes=32 time=26ms TTL=56

              Reply from 157.238.74.249: bytes=32 time=25ms TTL=56

              Reply from 157.238.74.249: bytes=32 time=25ms TTL=56

Ping statistics for 157.238.74.249:

             Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),

Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:

             Minimum = 25ms, Maximum = 29ms, Average = 26ms

And:

>ping ftp.mcafee.com

Pinging ftp.nai.com.att-idns.net [12.120.129.237] with 32 bytes of data:

              Request timed out.

              Request timed out.

              Request timed out.

              Request timed out.

Ping statistics for 12.120.129.237:

              Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 0, Lost = 4 (100% loss),

And for those who wish to add something else to your HOSTS file:

>ping ftp.adobe.com

Pinging ftpgen.wip4.adobe.com [193.104.215.67] with 32 bytes of data:

              Request timed out.

              Request timed out.

              Request timed out.

              Request timed out.

Ping statistics for 193.104.215.67:

              Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 0, Lost = 4 (100% loss),

>ping download.adobe.com

Pinging a1953.d.akamai.net [69.31.106.96] with 32 bytes of data:

              Reply from 69.31.106.96: bytes=32 time=27ms TTL=54

              Reply from 69.31.106.96: bytes=32 time=25ms TTL=54

              Reply from 69.31.106.96: bytes=32 time=27ms TTL=54

              Reply from 69.31.106.96: bytes=32 time=27ms TTL=54

Ping statistics for 69.31.106.96:

              Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),

Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:

              Minimum = 25ms, Maximum = 27ms, Average = 26ms

[Kramliw]

I must say i was tricked into downloading this crapware onto my new  build, by adobe, and i wanted to rip someones head off, until i saw that  the download page did tell you what it was going to do , all beit pre  checked and to the sided. Guys you've got to understand that McAffee and  Adobe are partners. McAffee's virus scan is probably the biggest virus  scanner outthere - Mcaffee's false positives (for which they are  notoriously known for on Adobe keygens and cracks help adobe's bottom  line (or so they think). But i agree its quite underhanded to lure users and install crapware on their computer.

[GonneMaude]

This maddens me too. I just now updated the flash player, and only noticed the McAffee

download when I closed out the download manager.  I immediately unistalled the program.  If it were not spyware, the default would be to CHECK the download box.  As far as I'm concerned, I did not consent to it, therefore it is spyware.  SHAME ON ADOBE!!

[RespectPrivacy]

Same thing here - tricked into a download manager I do not want and a security thing I never asked for and certainly do not need (good stuff installed already) and most certainly do not want Adobe to provide without my very explicit consent. I wanted to update Adobe for security reasons and got a lot of **** instead. That has done it for me - uninstall anything Adobe now. Good bye Adobe - hope to never see you again!

[xtremend007]

Thanks for posting this. I thought I must have missed something.

I'm also very aware of these issues, and never agree to anything like this. The first I know about it is when DLM announces that it HAS (past tense) installed McAffe.

[UnhappyUser322]

I got a message in Firefox when trying to view a PDF saying that the document had been blocked because my version of Adobe Reader was old. There was a button to update Adobe Reader, which I clicked. I then also got McAfee Security Scan Plus. I was not redirected to a web site and there were no options to disable the McAfee product. I hate McAfee products and was seriously offended that McAfee Security Scan Plus was pushed onto my machine without my concent. This was the final straw for me. I have moved ALL my machines over to Foxit Reader and will also move machines that I manage over as I get to them. Goodbye Adobe, and good riddance.

[pwillener]

This is the Flash Player forum; I can't help you with Adobe Reader issues.

UnhappyUser322 wrote:

I have moved ALL my machines over to Foxit Reader and will also move machines that I manage over as I get to them.

That's a "clever" move; it is well known that Foxit comes bundled with spyware!

[jarretv]

ADOBE: screw you for sneaking this into a software UPDATE

really what the hell is this?

It's bad enough flash player has to update bi weekly but now I have to check for

stupid bundled software on updates?  this is garbage and I won't stand for it.

mcaffee disabled my OWN virus protection software without asking me

and then when I uninstalled this garbage I couldn't turn on my OWN virus

protection which left my computer vulnerable.

adobe you are disgusting

[terradon]

This thread has been going on for at least 12 months. Yet this practice of pre-selecting a checkbox and then claiming that you did choose to download and install completely unrelated software continues. Courts consistently hold that failure to UNcheck a box to indicate disagreement is not the same as agreeing to the statement. Years ago, companies, including Adobe stopped pre-checking agreement with license agreement after some well publicized cases ruled against the practice. You'll notice that you have to actually check a box agreeing to the terms, even for the Flash updates. Yet, they still try to convince people that they did agree to having McAfee or some other program installed along with the update.That is the worst kind of corporate disdain for customers. Being sneaky is enough to cause me to lose trust. Trying to be oh so clever in justifying what was done, confirms any and all negative thoughts that one might have for a company.

Using the same greedy tactics on every update, especially security updates, is corporate greed at its worst.

[BubbaJoeBlow]

I'm another IT guy, and I did NOT get the normal Flash install screen with the McAfee junk checkbox. I've learned long ago to watch for it, especially with Adobe products.

I run a utility on my system that watches the Startup paths in the operating system, and notifies me when something wants to install itself to start automatically. That gives me option to say "no," and keep my system running fast a smooth. Well, Adobe has even worked its way around that kind of protection. Their products now scan for available updates in the background when they are running, then use the system's Shut Down process to put their updater in the "RunOnce" key of the Registry! Then when you reboot, even though you KNOW you didn't authorize any Adobe product to auto-start, up comes their updater. But I digress....

This time I was browsing with Firefox, and a Flash page said my player was out of date. Click the link to update it. The download started immediately, with no option to opt out of anything.

Surprise! McAfee Security Scan Plus pops up so it can do its fake scan and try to get me to buy something. McAfee used to be the flagship anti-virus out there. It was fast, unobtrusive, and just did the job. But McAfee lost sight of it's original purpose, and now, in their attempts to become a one-package security solution, McAfee has become a bloated, sluggish system hog like Norton. And like Adobe. They all deserve to just die.

McAfee has resorted to Adware to make sales, and uses scare tactics to get you to buy. They have obviously partnered with Adobe with a deal to make money for both of them. (Norton, also, has now resorted to scareware sales tactics, BTW.) Why are they doing this? Because Microsoft came out with Security Essentials, which is free. And it provides better protection with far less system load because it integrates with the operating system.

I dropped Adobe Acrobat a long time ago. If there were a good alternative Flash player, I would dump Adobe player in a second. In half a second. This kind of bloatware sales partnership garbage is unacceptable. There are other multimedia formats out there. Maybe the world will wake up one day and stop using Flash altogether.

Oh! And their forum software sucks, too. My screen name isn't supposed  to be "BubbaJoeBlow." It's supposed to be "D'Hag," which was registered  with my account. But the forum wouldn't let me use it. Great job, Adobe!

Message was edited by: Me

[Foffu]

Bundling other software in the installer is a sign of a DYING company. Now I have to do more work and uninstall this stuff. Yeah, you got me. "Angry" is not strong enough. -Foffu.

[cyber-spy]

On top of the fact that this app was installed without my consent, it then told me that I had no other Anti-Virus installed, despiter the fact that AVG Business Edition is quite clearly running.

If Security Scan Plus is unable to recognise another anti-virus app, what hope is there that it can actually spot some malware?

Uninstalled, along with McAfee SiteAdvisor. No more McAfee for me!

[Guest]

I just LOVE reading these posts. Thanks all, you gave me my laugh for the day.

It takes half a second to uncheck the box and NOT download anything else along with the Flash Player.

For the Record, I can't stand McAfee, and never could. I use AVG.

I use Google Chrome... for website testing, and nothing more.

But I download only what I want, because I read things before I click "OK" or "Accept".

[pwillener]

Name-calling sequence deleted; this topic is now closed.

[Francois_C1]

It does not make me laugh. I'm very careful about bundled crapware, but I was caught today. It makes me think that our Western economies have come very low, on a moral and financial point of view, if companies like Adobe must use such rogue processes in order to make some more money.

[adhesive label]

I really hate this bundled rubbish. Adobe are a company that I had, until now trusted. It feels like they have just hijacked my PC. At LR4 I'll be checking out the alternatives very carerfully.

d

[david k]

I just did a Flash update through Firefox, and no, there was no option for the crapware they added to my computer. Adobe, shame on you for this. And shame on you for not responding to this thread.

[timrand]

I will NEVER again update flash.  I use flashblock and very rarely allow it to run.

It's a dinosaur that needs to die off.