McAfee scam

Report · Nov 21, 2012

It's bad enough we have to endure your endless updates but when you try and trick users into installing McAfee AV its a sign that you've lost the plot.

I've been in IT for 25 years and seen many companies come and go. Goodbye Abode, you deserve to die.

Report · Jan 13, 2015

I was able to reproduce the problem. I clicked on the "Update Now" link for Flash in Firefox's Add-Ons. No option appears to opt-out of the McAfee, it just installs it.

This is bad.

Report · Jan 13, 2015

popkorn520 wrote:

I can tell you for a fact that is not true. First of all, I am an IT Tech working as a field engineer for Peak Data Systems so I think I can handle installing an update. I was presented with a Adobe popup telling me my flash player needed to be updated. Clicking OK only gave me the option of saving an offline installer to my desktop which I did. This is the link to the file that was downloaded. http://aihdownload.adobe.com/bin/live/install_flashplayer16x32axau_mssa_aaa_aih.exe The filename was install_flashplayer16x32axau_mssa_aaa_aih.exe. I closed my browser and launched the update, there was NO opt out, no browers window opened...what launched was an installer that began installing flash and mcafee was next to install on the list. I immediately closed the window and the window reopened with McAfee marked cancelled but Flash completing the install. Checking my programs I now currently have version 16.0.0.235. There was never an opt out for the McAfee and if I did not close the window it would have installed on it's own.

Your process is flawed and borderline fraudulent.

This is the only screen I was presented when clicking on the .exe

This is exactly what just happened to me. Luckily I was able to un-install McAfee easily with a cleaner program but this is just bogus.

Report · Jan 14, 2015

I'm a systems admin and am responsible to keep all of our computers up-to-date. We already have a company wide policy on what security software we use and it is NOT mcafee. Imagine my surprise when I was provisioning a new machine that needed adobe reader and I installed XI only to discover McAfee was installed. This is totally unacceptable. Why would I want this software in the first place? Yes, I can simply delete McAfee, but if any of the employees update like they are continually being prompted to by Adobe, they won't know to remove this software.

Apparently too many people have been opting out (hint?) and so Adobe just decided to not even ask.

We are slowly migrating our office over to [crapware reference and link removed] and this sort of thing is the reason. Adobe is free to surreptitiously install all the software they want. It is free after all. And of course we are free to simply stop using their software.

Report · Mar 24, 2015

Thanks for the link, removing adobe reader now and will be removing as many adobe products as soon as possible.

Report · Dec 02, 2013

Wow. Same as Kellian1.

I just rebooted my Windows 7 computer after a Windows Update, and then Adobe software said there was a Flash update. It said to save the .exe file from the Download folder and run it, which I did. It then updated Flash and installed the McAfee viral software (sic), without any options, without asking permission, so fast that I couldn't even stop it. That is really out of control. I'm scratching my head now... is this forgivable?

Report · Dec 09, 2013

@Kellian1 - All I can go from is my experience. I've tested this workflow thousands of times but each time I'm presented with the browser opening to a webpage with the opt out checkbox.

Let me help. Look at my thread opened today. You'll see one that HASN'T got it. And a possible reason as to maybe why.....

Report · Jan 24, 2014

And now here it is late January 2014 and this garbage is *still* going on? What the **** is going on here? How could McAfee have paid you enough to compromise the trust of your users? As that you surely have!

Report · Jun 12, 2014

And it continues. Today I had the same problem and I didn't see any opt out. Adobe's excuse is basically "We make money from this, so we have to do it this way". Adobe Flash isn't an independent entity. The fact that flash is "given away" for free does not mean that you need to find a revenue stream to support it. Having Flash on computers works to Adobe's advantage and makes Adobe profits indirectly. Trying to justify slipping in another company's software just because they are willing to pay to absurd amounts of money to sneak it in is absolutely shameful. Adobe absolutely does deserve to die and be replaced by a company with real concern for it's customers.

Report · Jun 12, 2014

Same thing happened to me today. Seriously what the fuck. I am extremely furious. If this happens to me one more time, I'm uninstalling every single Adobe product on every single machine I manage. I curse Adobe with a thousand zero-day exploits in all of their products! Suck a dick, mc heffe.

Report · Jun 13, 2014

In my opinion, McAfee is THE WORST "Antivirus" software (Aside from Norton), if you're going to "accidentally" hide the option to opt out, Adobe, at least bundle something useful like Avast.

Report · Jun 13, 2014

Exact same thing happened to me and I said WTF!!!!

Whilst I appreciate updates I DO NOT appreciate having something installed onto my PC that I never asked for.

Thanks Adobe. NOT!!!!!

Report · Jun 14, 2014

Yes, furious. Well, fairly angry. Annoyed. Perturbed. Unhappy. I demand mollification.

Was offered a flashplayer update - clicked the button, up came a panel installing the update plus unasked-for McAfee.

I was given NO warning of this, NO opt-out, the McAfee (and who knows what else?) was installed without my permission.

I do recall at some stage being asked if I wanted automatic updates, presumably entailing Adobe having fairly permanent access to my machine, and taking up resources. Said "no" of course, I can schedule an update myself. No further option to refuse additional products came to my attention.

When the installer had finished, it then fired up IE to offer yet more product. Further annoyannce.

IE is NOT my default browser; I don't like it being rudely invoked in this way.

I then looked in my taskmgr, found some other unwanted & unexplained piece of flashplayer -related activeX whatever running, killed that too. At least it didn't find its way into the start-up.

So then I was obliged to spend a while removing the unwelcome McAfee, and reading other complaints about Adobe's appalling behaviour.

I'm fed up with flashplayer's constant memory leaks, suspect spyware, frequent security holes, and the general insouciance of responses to complaints.

In addition, this imposition (no option) of an unwanted bundled product with a maintenance update is totally unacceptable.

To the Adobe representative who sees this:

1. May I have a legal assurance from Adobe that their uninstaller, and the uninstaller for McAfee which they imposed upon me, does in fact remove ALL the changes made to my system? And that Adobe has not installed, nor been party to installing, any hidden spyware on my system, for or on behalf of themselves, or any other agency?

2. I really want Adobe to stop this kind of rude & unethical practice, of installing unrequested bundleware with no (or obscure) opt-out.

Whilst others may be waiting for native HTML5 to see the demise of this awfully maintained yet ubiquitous (and once innovative) product, might I suggest that other dissenters here consider switching allegiance to

Shumway

see also Home · mozilla/shumway Wiki · GitHub

Shumway is an HTML5 technology experiment that explores building a faithful and efficient renderer for the SWF file format without native code assistance. Our goal is to create a general-purpose, web standards-based platform for parsing and rendering SWFs. Integration with Firefox is a possibility if the experiment proves successful.

It is still a fairly new project, and I expect it could do with help and support from all of Adobe's ex-users.

(And, yes, it seems to be Mozilla effort, but I hope not tainted with the gaystapo intolerance shown to former CTO, briefly CEO, Brendan Eich in forcing his resignation - all very disappointing.)

Report · Jun 17, 2014

bill wrote:

Yes, furious. Well, fairly angry. Annoyed. Perturbed. Unhappy. I demand mollification.

Was offered a flashplayer update - clicked the button, up came a panel installing the update plus unasked-for McAfee.

I was given NO warning of this, NO opt-out, the McAfee (and who knows what else?) was installed without my permission.

I do recall at some stage being asked if I wanted automatic updates, presumably entailing Adobe having fairly permanent access to my machine, and taking up resources. Said "no" of course, I can schedule an update myself. No further option to refuse additional products came to my attention.

Exactly the same thing happened to me an hour ago. It's all very well for Adobe to offer us useful software & utilities - it's quite a different thing to go ahead and install crapware like "McAfee Security Scan Plus" without even asking.

Report · Jun 17, 2014

And yet another quite angry user here.

Furthermore, nobody in Adobe will confirm that there is nothing left behind after installing this mcafee stuff?

I suppose it's il·legal to install something without my permission (there is absolutelly no check authorizing it) so what are you, adobe going to do about it ??

Bak.

Report · Jun 17, 2014

The small already-completed check box is completely unacceptable. Tell the company it drags your name into the mire.

I always make reasonable checks about what I'm signing for, and dont have this problem with any other reputable business. As it happened, I had to do this update twice today. The first time, I spotted the box and unchecked it. The second time,it whizzed past and I found horrible mcaffee was installing before I knew it. I cancelled the installation and did it again - but what dreadful practice on the part of your company!

Report · Jun 19, 2014

Another very unhappy user here... I have no problem with Adobe including promotional offers in their update notices, but only if the install checkbox is turned off by default. So far I have not missed it, but every time I need to turn off that checkbox it makes me angry -- and then of course I need to immediately ensure that other users know not to just skip past it.

I strongly object to Adobe using this tactic -- and particularly for a supposed security update. It makes me wonder if there really is no security problem at all, and this is just a way to expose millions of people to the McAfee product for more advertising revenue.

I was once a loyal user of Adobe products, but their directions in recent years have eroded that trust. I have found very good alternatives for several other Adobe products, and have eliminated Flash from two other computers used here some time ago because of this issue. Having to deal with it yet again today has prompted me to actively seek alternatives for the remaining 2 systems.

Report · Jun 19, 2014

Yeah I didn't notice right away, seemed like a normal update. I got the popup after turning on my computer, no check box and then I got McAfee, noticed it a few days later.... I uninstalled McAfee, then the flash update popup can back on my next reboot. Same thing happened on my home computer, no check box and it started installing McAfee right away so I cancelled. The installer can't be found on my work computer, I'll see if I can find it on my home.

Report · Jun 26, 2014

Got the same thing just today. No option to unchec, after update McAfee was just there.

This is one of the worst practices ever. If I had the option I would remove flash from all my systems permanently.

Report · Jul 03, 2014

What a joke. I am now trying to plan my life post adobe. It may be hard but your company is now dead to me. Idiots!

Report · Jul 03, 2014

Same here. I built a new computer with an SSD & HD a couple months ago and found out that Flash Player likes to install itself on the drive (SSD) that contains the OS. No option to put on a different drive. I've avoided installing Flash Player for two months now hoping that more websites go to HTML5. The last thing I want is an app that will constantly beat up my SSD with updates and other suspicious trash. I have an old beat up laptop siting around just in case I need access a site that requires FP. Sorry Adobe but you have shown me that you're not really interested in making your products flexible enough to your customers.

Report · Aug 28, 2014

I really hope whatever money Adobe is getting from McAfee to do this is worth all of the ill will it's generating with the Internet community at large.

As a web developer, I've been moving away from flash for media presentation to html5 for a while. Stuff like this is pretty much cementing my plan to drop the Flash backup from my source code.

Report · Aug 30, 2014

I agree with every complaint above. On boot up, I received the notice of an available update and clicked "Download." As I use Chrome, this did not lead to a consent page, it just pointed to a file to download, save and double-click to run (Adobe_Flash_Player_(Non_IE)_v14.0.0.179.exe). Running the installer only asked to agree to the terms of use before clicking Install, it did not provide any consent options but nevertheless immediately proceeded to install both Flash Player AND McAfee Security Scan Plus. I am, as my name states, unhappy.

Report · Sep 01, 2014

It's not bad enough that flash has one of the worst security vulnerabilities in the world, now they want to force me to install an anti virus that could compromise my security. I was sent to Adobe - Install Adobe Flash Player where it automatically downloaded the installer. Then it began to automatically install McAfee. Having a check-box makes you scum in my book, but forcing an instillation in illegal, and immoral. They have these adobe goons here doing PR swearing it's not so, but it is so. Adobe has gone to far, and has joined the ranks of other scam company's like Kazaa. They carefully control it all so they can retroactively conceal evidence at will.

Report · Sep 23, 2014

There are already a lot of people discussing the Mcafee problem!! I was thinking its only with me that i get mcafee bundled with!!!

its a serious matter,i dont like that antivirus at all,when avast is there!!

Thanks

Report · Oct 24, 2014

so itis now october 2014 and this is still happening it seems.

last time i had an adobe update message at least I did see the tick box but this morning - no sign of it - I do not wish to install Mcaffee and then have to uninstall it - I do not want it anywhere near my laptop thank you very much!

so - how do I get this update without getting mcaffee - am using firefox - is IE any better?

And why is Adobe not sorting this one out?