WTF? ADWARE - delta-search.com - in SetupImgBurn_2.5.8.0.exe downloaded from imgburn.com

[rjamesd]

Just installed latest version of your software only to find that Chrome default search engine has delta-search,com as startup page and default search engine?

 

WTF?

 

I DON'T need this SH*T - I didn't ask for it and you've just tainted your lovely reputation for a wonderful program.

 

First EaseUS try in on now you. WTF is going on? Don't you care about your reputation? I don't want sh*tty stuff I didn't ask for.

 

And it was you because I've just re-installed windows and your app was the first thing I installed after Norton - which detected something called Goon as well.

 

What on earth are you thinking?!

[LIGHTNING UK!]

That's not something ImgBurn or the installer does.

 

OpenCandy handles the 'in setup' product offering stuff (replacing the old bundled Ask.com toolbar offer). AFAIK, you just say 'No' to them - the same way you've always done.

[rjamesd]

I have no idea what this OpenCandy thing is - all I did was just download imgburn from your site.

 

Such lovely tool, such a shame to taint it with this crap - it didn't used to be like this - is this now not under your control?

 

Further points:

 

1) I went through the install again - yes it is imgburn installing this crap - but yes it is an option - more fool me for being too click-happy to get the brilliant imgburn installed and not reading the 'small print' on the express install option which talks about 'entrust' (ENTRUST?! FFS!) toolbar. If you go for custom install you uncheck uncheck all these and get none of this trashy crap that you're not gonna need anyway - I mean imgburn author how on earth do you think you're gonna make money touting crappy unheard of dubious toolbars?!

 

2) this will be reported on Norton and on Malwarebytes forums

 

3) I've just made a donation for $30 to imgburn (so anyone can shut up about saying they're giving this tool for free so that justifies adware junkware crap, if I hear another complaint maybe pay you another donate) You ought to charge for this tool - it's better than Nero or other tools. It isn't difficult to do. What have you got to lose? Digital River, Cleverbytes etc all off download and payment mechanisms...

[rjamesd]

One thing I do want to know - will this stuff damage my machine - is it malware or just a adware that's harmless (though a big nuisance)... ?

[rjamesd]

Reported in Norton:

https://safeweb.norton.com/reviews/216521

 

Will report in malwarbytes forum later...

 

Just take this crap off and start charging please... you deserve proper reward for your great tool (i.e. money - and I'm prepared to cough up for it and I have as you know!)

[LIGHTNING UK!]

Technically, it isn't ImgBurn that's installing it, it's you - like you said, you got click-happy.

 

Rather than having a single static page in the installer that always offers the Ask.com toolbar, the OpenCandy platform dynamically adds a page with a random offer from a list of advertisers that they have in their network (like Google serving up adverts from various places when you visit websites).

 

I never know what you're going to be offered or anything (including the design / look of the offer page) and in theory it could change each time you run the installer. Right this second, I have no idea what this 'express' install option is you're talking about.

 

http://www.opencandy.com/

[rjamesd]

 Right this second, I have no idea what this 'express' install option is you're talking about.

 

http://www.opencandy.com/

 

 

I hope following image clarifies:

 

 

It says...

 

"ImgBurn 2.5.8.0 Setup" - to me that looks pretty much to with ImgBurn...

 

AND...

 

"Recommended by ImgBurn" - hmmmmm

 

 

What a shame...

Edited June 17, 2013 by rjamesd

[LIGHTNING UK!]

Ok, now I see. Thanks.

 

That offer page is very clean looking, it would be very easy to not even realise it was an offer at all. The offers I saw during testing were big bold / obvious things.

 

I'm also a little put off by the 'Recommended by ImgBurn' bit. Whilst OpenCandy wouldn't offer any malicious software, I haven't personally looked at / tested / recommended anything.

[rjamesd]

Ok, now I see. Thanks.

 

That offer page is very clean looking, it would be very easy to not even realise it was an offer at all. The offers I saw during testing were big bold / obvious things.

 

I'm also a little put off by the 'Recommended by ImgBurn' bit. Whilst OpenCandy wouldn't offer any malicious software, I haven't personally looked at / tested / recommended anything.

 

Right... Ok then - just comments... are you going to do something about it?!

 

2 choices:

 

1) just upload the imgburn compiled executable (without malware crap in it, i.e. compiled purely in YOUR OWN development environment, Visual C++ ? Qt? with NO adulteration what-so-ever from any 3rd-party packager, or use a decent package installer (open source one?) ) to your site and have a download link for it. Easy, no?

 

or

 

2) use digital river or cleverbytes as a nice legit payment and software delivery platform and make this software paid therefore no need for the adware sh*t. (why not make the free version limited feature set, freemium model. Why don't you just think?! Are you actually making any money off putting this 'optional' stuff in anyway?!)

 

 

Reported on malwarebytes: http://forums.malwarebytes.org/index.php?showtopic=127903

 

 

You clearly have had a conscious say in how this software is delivered, as it didn't used to have this crap in it and you are aware of this, if a little lacking in checking how it shows to the end-user.

 

I really think you have shot yourself in the foot with regards to your reputation.

Edited June 18, 2013 by rjamesd

[LIGHTNING UK!]

No. The installer will stay as it is for now. This new (random) offering isn't really any different to the old fixed Ask.com toolbar one. Just opt out and move on, it's only a big deal if you let it become one. Personally, I'm just used to this kind of thing now as most free apps come bundled with some offering or other - it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

 

You install an application once, you use it x number of times.

 

The actual ImgBurn program itself is just as it has always been.

[Sigma]

Technically, it isn't ImgBurn that's installing it, it's you - like you said, you got click-happy.

 

Technically that is true, but then this kind of thing does relies on people being click-happy, because who would actually choose to change their search provider and home page unless they were unaware what those terms even meant? If that wasn't the case, the options would be unchecked by default, not checked, and then I don't think anyone would have a problem with it.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

As mentioned before, the offer you get may not be the same as what others get.

 

When I just installed it in a virtual environment, I was offered the 'Amazon Toolbar' rather than the 'Entrusted Toolbar'.

 

Offer screens for each advertiser look different. The offer screen for the Amazon one is much clearer looking. There is of course nothing to say you'll be offered a Toolbar type product at all and telling people to make sure they select a custom install rather than express is useless because many will never even get those options (just as I didn't). That was an express or custom install of the 'Entrusted Toolbar' and nothing to do with an express or custom install of ImgBurn itself. You just need to differentiate between ImgBurn installation screens and product offer screens (ImgBurn's come first).

[dbminter]

Could be worse. Someone I told about the new ImgBurn got an installer for the new version, don't know from where, and when they installed it, it was apparently poisoned with all kinds of real malware, not what most people are calling the "malware" associated with the dynamic installer.

 

 

He said it installed a "pirate game," not sure what he meant by that, deleted all his settings, passwords and logins, and extensions from Chrome, and installed "ad-ware," without saying what the ad-ware was.

 

 

I've not been able to get any more information, like where he downloaded the installer from that might have added all this stuff to it, as he disappeared from IRC after telling me all this happened when he installed it.

 

 

One of the reasons why I image my Windows partition every day and run a Differential backup before installing any software. You never know what might happen to Windows.

[Altercuno]

The toolbar that came with my download said free pussy here, and naturally, being an animal lover...

Edited June 18, 2013 by Altercuno

[spinningwheel]

The toolbar that came with my download said free pussy here, and naturally, being an animal lover

 

*groan*

 

 

 

[rjamesd]

LIGHTNING UK! I'd be more than happy if your installer offered to install: Amazon, AskJeeves, Yahoo, MSN, AVG or any other reputable brand. Not trashy unheard of tin-pot crap like 'Entrusted toolbar"

 

Agree with forum poster Sigma - about the toolbar option being enabled by default. Why not make it disabled by default?

 

LIGHTNING UK! How about putting a paypal donate option in your installer? And making THAT option enabled, so that when the user clicks proceed, a browser window opens at the end of the install asking for donation?

 

After putting all this effort crafting such a fine tool. You go and pollute it with adware by choosing an installer system with that in it and taint the tool reputation in the process. What a plonker! ImgBurn is a fine tool and a demonstration of your skills. So couldn't you have made a free limited version with a paid version and used a decent software delivery platform such as digital river or cleverbytes?

 

These guys seem decent: http://www.nch.com.au/burn/

 

They offer a free version with the choice to buy. Yes their installer had options to install other stuff but it is only *their* other software they'd like to introduce you to, and it's optional. Yes they offer an optional toolbar, but it is Ask - which are one of decent old-school brands. Not some sh*tty never-heard-of crap. They are switched on, these guys at NCH, nice site too, no misleading big DOWNLOAD links to avoid etc. Yeah, nice. That's how it should be done. Hmmm.... Yeah [gets megaphone out] folks go there if you don't want to accidentally soil your machine with unheard toolbars (pardon I'm human for click happy on your-enabled-by-default option)

 

Thanks for the "campfire" story dbminter and glad someone's got time for imaging and differential backups every day. But I'm with that sensible lady on that: "Aint nobody got time for that"

 

@Altercuno - ho ho. I don't think I'll pass this joke on and pretend it was mine though... (Sorry but couldn't see any "value add" to the discussion... )

[dbminter]

Thanks for the "campfire" story dbminter and glad someone's got time for imaging and differential backups every day. But I'm with that sensible lady on that: "Aint nobody got time for that"

The trick is you schedule full images to run while you're asleep. So, when you get up, they're all done. And a Differential in Reflect on my system takes only 12 minutes to run on average. A small time slice price to pay for a botched installation. It would run faster if I had USB 3.0 on my PC as my external HD supports it and I backup to the external HD.

 

 

Of course, backing up your system depends on various factors. Like what you store on the partition you're imaging. For instance, I moved TEMPDIR to its own partition so ImgBurn's image files won't be stored on C: with Windows and add GB's to the daily image that I don't care if they get backed up or not. Then, there's things like if you're storing your MP3's or video files on the same partition. My system has more partitions that it knows what to do with! Basically, only Windows and installed programs that can't run as standalone apps exist on my C: partition.

[rjamesd]

 

Thanks for the "campfire" story dbminter and glad someone's got time for imaging and differential backups every day. But I'm with that sensible lady on that: "Aint nobody got time for that"

The trick is you schedule full images to run while you're asleep. So, when you get up, they're all done. And a Differential in Reflect on my system takes only 12 minutes to run on average. A small time slice price to pay for a botched installation. It would run faster if I had USB 3.0 on my PC as my external HD supports it and I backup to the external HD.

 

 

Of course, backing up your system depends on various factors. Like what you store on the partition you're imaging. For instance, I moved TEMPDIR to its own partition so ImgBurn's image files won't be stored on C: with Windows and add GB's to the daily image that I don't care if they get backed up or not. Then, there's things like if you're storing your MP3's or video files on the same partition. My system has more partitions that it knows what to do with! Basically, only Windows and installed programs that can't run as standalone apps exist on my C: partition.

 

Thanks. I'll bear that in mind. Sounds quick to run *once* setup but the initial study and setup is longer but a one-off.

 

bromium.com security software looks interesting -  would like them to do a version available to consumers...