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Thread ID: 123985	2012-03-29 21:57:00	Adobe Scareware Update	SurferJoe46 (51)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1267472	2012-03-29 21:57:00	Be ye careful of The Optimizer in the update! This just came into my sniffer -------------------> Adobe's latest critical security update pushes scareware By Ed Bott | March 29, 2012, 10:38am PDT/USA From ZD-Net, with full credits . Summary: Adobe just released a critical Flash Player security update . Good news: it includes a new automatic updater for Windows . Bad news: Adobe’s download page pushes a misleading “system optimizer” designed to scare users into paying for unneeded repairs . Adobe did something good this week, releasing a new version of its Flash Player software with automatic updating capabilities . They also did something truly awful—using their update page to push a third-party scareware program designed to separate naive PC users from their cash . (ibid: This year alone, three Flash Player security updates have been issued by Adobe: one on February 15, one on March 5, and one yesterday, March 28 . If you use any of the affected platforms—Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris, or Android 3 . x and 2 . x—you should update immediately . ) Just thought you'd like to know . Here's the crappola::: It’s FREE! It has the Adobe logo in the lower-right corner, suggesting that it has the full endorsement of Adobe . It is not marked as an advertisement . If you click the Download Now button, the program (SCUDownloader . exe) is delivered from an Adobe server (platformdl . adobe . com) . What could possibly go wrong? Let’s make a little list . First, the new program is powered by Adobe AIR . If your system doesn’t already have AIR installed, the downloader will take care of that task . Unfortunately, Adobe AIR is yet another source of potential vulnerabilities, and the new automatic updater for Flash doesn’t automatically update AIR . You need to do that manually . Oops . Far worse is the misleading report that the Iolo System Checkup utility generates to try to scare you into paying for an unnecessary cleanup . Now --- the punch line::: (IT) is pure, unadulterated scareware . It is designed to prey on unsophisticated computer users who have been told that they need to update their Flash Player and who are then subjected to this misleading advertising and technical mumbo-jumbo to scare them into paying for something they don’t need . And, ironically, this product can cause problems all on its own . PC Magazine (US Ver) gave Iolo’s System Mechanic a glowing review last year, but the reviews from actual customers in the comments section told a different story . Users called it “a ripoff,” “uncontrollable and worthless,” and advised other customers to “beware . ” They complained that the registry repairs and other fixes had hosed their network connections, caused problems with web browsing, broke Bluetooth drivers and printer configurations, and generally made a mess of the system . Likewise, 247 of 711 user reviews of the free version of System Mechanic at CNET’s Download . com give it one star, with two users reporting it messed up their Bluetooth settings . “Most of my applications stopped working,” said another . Indeed, that is the danger with nearly every program I’ve examined in this “system optimizer” category . In their zeal to do something, they go too far . The fact that Adobe is foisting this software on customers who come to their site looking for a security update is disgraceful . This practice should stop, now . Emphasis, mine .	SurferJoe46 (51)
1267473	2012-03-30 06:01:00	Thanks for the warning Joe. I've also long ago developed a scorn for 'optimisers'. Hopefully Adobe will quickly discontinue this unholy marriage. I recently delt to an optimiser on my nephews machine, which had set his pagefile to 5 times the amount of RAM available. The darn HDD was grinding away for ages trying to cope. In the meantime I'm waiting on more RAM for him to get him into the GB world. Must admit to being curious where Adobe gets its income from, since I've never paid a cent for any of their profits, and I use free PDF creators. Is photoshop their main cash cow?	Paul.Cov (425)
1267474	2012-03-30 07:12:00	Hmmmmmmmmm I did notice after the latest update the firewall was stopping adobe update installer several times during the day wanting permission to run and do something - just told it to not allow as a temp measure, might have to look a bit deeper and see what its actually wanting to do. Thanks joe :)	wainuitech (129)
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