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Microsoft Security Products Flag Google Chrome As a Virus

New submitter maeltor writes "Reports poured in this morning that Microsoft's security products, namely Microsoft Security Essentials and Forefront Client Security, were flagging Google Chrome as a virus (PWS:Win32/Zbot) and removing the browser if users chose to clean and reboot their machines. Users reported that the only way to mitigate the problem was to set MSE and Forefront to 'always allow' Zbot, which is generally considered to be a bad idea." A Google employee in the above support thread notes that Microsoft has now pushed another update to resolve the issue. "On September 30th, 2011, an incorrect detection for PWS:Win32/Zbot was identified. On September 30th, 2011, Microsoft released an update that addresses the issue. Signature versions 1.113.672.0 and higher include this update."

258 comments

  1. A joke... by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 5, Funny

    Microsoft Security Products Flag Google Chrome As a Virus

    For once, Microsoft get's it right!

    --
    If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    1. Re:A joke... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I tend to think of it more as a security hole. Then again, so is IE, so... I don't see why it isn't catching IE as well.

    2. Re:A joke... by Denogh · · Score: 1

      I bought a PC in 2004, and when I opened IE (to download Firefox) I was immediately warned by the factory installed Norton product that IE was a potentially dangerous program and that they recommended I not allow it to connect.

    3. Re:A joke... by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I realise you were going for humour, but Google does a lot of very shady things involving auto-updates and integrating with unnecessary parts of a system. Why does my Firefox installation need a Google Update plug-in I never asked for, and why does it keep getting reactivated even though I've explicitly turned it off?

      The reaction might not have been deliberate on this occasion, but I am utterly lacking in sympathy if Google's shady code starts getting treated like malware. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's still a duck, even though sometimes it can taste good.

      --
      If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
    4. Re:A joke... by Carewolf · · Score: 1

      Chrome is no virus, but it is technically speaking spyware, forcing Google to introduce the term badware to replace malware, because malware includes spyware but badware only includes spyware used for id-theft, not spyware used for targeted advertisement.

    5. Re:A joke... by poofmeisterp · · Score: 1

      Ok... compromise.

      Stern-lookware?
      Loud-sighware?
      Adrenaline-releaseware?
      Stomp-footware?
      Annoyware?
      But-I-trusted-youware?
      I-need-to-walk-away-for-a-minuteware?
      Please-stopware?
      Wish-you-would-uninstall-instead-of-lyingware?

      Well, a couple were a little long but hell... Runnin' out of acronyms; may as well run out of 'WareNames'. :>

    6. Re:A joke... by hairyfeet · · Score: 1

      Whether you dislike Google's policies or not (I personally give my clients Comodo Dragon, it is Chromium based and has the speed along with some extra security features and NO Google phone home crap) I still don't see what made this deserve a front page slot on Slashdot. Is it a slow news day?

      Its a false positive folks, it happens. It isn't even a truly nasty fp that trashes the system like the McAfee bug we had awhile back, and they fixed it in just a couple of hours from fp found to fp eliminated. That really isn't bad when you think about how they have to remove the fp but not the behavior the fp was detecting.

      But if it truly bugs you or any of your relatives just go to ninite after removing MSE and check the little box that says Avast Free, then hit the go button at the bottom and run it. See how easy that was? They even have several browsers to choose from if you'd rather get rid of the Google phone home crap instead of MSE and they even have Revo Uninstaller to clean all the crap Chrome leaves behind.

      I just don't see why this made front page, idle maybe, but how many fp screw ups are made each week? Probably more than the average tech can possibly keep up with. Would we have even seen this if it was AVG that flagged Chrome?

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    7. Re:A joke... by Ark42 · · Score: 1

      Fyi, duck is always delicious.

    8. Re:A joke... by vux984 · · Score: 1

      Norton products especially at that point in time said that about pretty much everything that tries to connect to the internet.

    9. Re:A joke... by Talderas · · Score: 1

      It made Slashdot because...

      1. Microsoft dun screwed up (no matter how innocuous it may have been).
      2. Google is a shining child of goodness and can do no evil.

      --
      "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
    10. Re:A joke... by WrecklessSandwich · · Score: 1

      Semi-related: IE9 is apparently still so tied into Windows Explorer that Windows Update killed explorer.exe on me while IE9 was installing. Shady browser code? What shady browser code?

    11. Re:A joke... by antdude · · Score: 1

      Get's? Why is there an apostrophe in there?

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    12. Re:A joke... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is why I use chromium instead. None of the spyware but runs well in GNU/Linux, in my experience much better than Firefox or its FOSS equivalent, IceCat.

    13. Re:A joke... by jonadab · · Score: 1

      Indeed. Google asked for this by the illegitimate, worst-practice way Chrome installs itself (specifically, the fact that it installs in a user-writable location, something legitimate software is never EVER supposed to do). That's just begging to be classified as malware.

      --
      Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
    14. Re:A joke... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I hate that shady auto-update, as a cross-browser compatibility engineer, it might ruin future business for me.

    15. Re:A joke... by raynet · · Score: 1

      What is this location it installs itself? I thought it was installed under \Program Files\

      --
      - Raynet --> .
    16. Re:A joke... by TeknoHog · · Score: 1

      4 1s, an grammer nutsie get's it's rite!

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
    17. Re:A joke... by petermgreen · · Score: 1

      The question I always have with these large scale false positives is why aren't they caught in testing? I can understand a false positive on some obscure piece of software but a false positive on a core OS file or an app as popular as chrome would seem to speak of either extreme sloppiness or a more complex issue (such as MS and google releasing updates at about the same time).

      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
    18. Re:A joke... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wasn't there a Windows Update awhile back that also installed an unwanted firefox plugin and reactivated it if removed?

    19. Re:A joke... by antdude · · Score: 1

      Nein nein! Yours is even worse. :P

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    20. Re:A joke... by hairyfeet · · Score: 2

      Because the Chrome on their test box probably isn't up to date? Chrome X might pass just fine but Chrome Y not. Anybody who has worked corporate knows what a PITA it is to keep everything updated and with test beds you sure don't want the machine you are testing various scenarios and possible fuckups on to be loose on the network without safeguards.

      So I bet the version of Chrome on their testbed passes muster but some new feature or tweak on the latter versions throws the fp. It happens.

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    21. Re:A joke... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      I am not keen on those things either, but it isn't fair to call them shady. Google wants its software to be the same as their web sites - they can change it any time they like without the user needing to know or do anything. That is why it happens quietly in the background, to avoid the user having to even know something is happening. It isn't deception, just a UI choice that you and I don't like.

      The updater plugin for Firefox is to keep Google plugins up to date silently. If you don't have any Google software for Firefox then there is a nasty bug... Chrome doesn't install it, I checked my machines just now.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    22. Re:A joke... by the+simurgh · · Score: 1

      this argument can be applied to microsoft and their .net as well as java since they both install plug-ins that can't be removed in Firefox.

    23. Re:A joke... by Coolhand2120 · · Score: 1

      Now if only Norton would quarantine and delete itself upon initial post-factory bootup.

    24. Re:A joke... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And, as we all know, Chrome updates itself silently so at any given time it's virtually impossible to know what version of it is installed.

      I'm only kinda trolling...

    25. Re:A joke... by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 1

      That nasty bug is apparently present on every machine I currently have access to, exactly none of which have (or, to my knowledge, ever have had) any Google software installed within Firefox beyond the default search bar stuff.

      The plug-ins have certainly been reactivated after being explicitly disabled on all of those machines, at times when there was no Google stuff installed for Firefox beyond the default search bar stuff.

      --
      If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
    26. Re:A joke... by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 1

      Yes, it can, though at least those only install when you install some related software and they don't reactivate themselves if you actively disable them.

      --
      If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
    27. Re:A joke... by webnut77 · · Score: 1

      Chrome X might pass just fine but Chrome Y not.

      So it's a male?

    28. Re:A joke... by the+simurgh · · Score: 1

      i've had both of them reactivate after upgrading firefox to a new version.

    29. Re:A joke... by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 1

      I've had at least half a dozen different plug-ins reactivate under those circumstances. I'm pretty sure that's a different screw-up and attributable to Firefox, not the fault of all those different plug-ins.

      --
      If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
    30. Re:A joke... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I just noticed that Google Update plug-in in Firefox this week. Like the Adobe Software Updater, that shit just keeps coming back.

    31. Re:A joke... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Idk.. you can call google shady.. But still they have given me no solid reasons NOT to trust them yet. Just alot of rumors and 'oh no they're big, they must be bad' based comments.

      Compared to microsoft that has given me a few thousand? million? billion? How many reasons does selling winME count for?

    32. Re:A joke... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fail boat. I've never seen a Google Update plugin in Firefox unless you have the browser bar installed. FUD Troll is making FUD.

    33. Re:A joke... by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 1

      Firstly, your implication is simply wrong. Several of the PCs where I've seen this behaviour are used professionally, and we keep a careful log of any software and updates that are actively installed right from day one, in case we want to set up more machines later and need to know exactly where that useful utility/plugin/whatever came from. We therefore know that the plug-in in question appeared shortly after installing Google Chrome.

      Secondly, even if there had ever been any Google plug-in installed in Firefox, that's never an excuse for reactivating a plug-in that the user has explicitly chosen to disable anyway.

      --
      If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
    34. Re:A joke... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you have such a plugin it is because you installed it yourself in GMail (to run the video chat).

    35. Re:A joke... by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 1

      I don't use GMail, and never have.

      --
      If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
    36. Re:A joke... by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 1

      But still they have given me no solid reasons NOT to trust them yet.

      Really? Google provide useful services, of course, but they also push the boundaries and have frequently crossed the line of acceptable behaviour regarding issues like privacy and intellectual property, to the point of having to cancel entire services in some countries. Wikipedia has a long article about criticism of Google that summarises most common concerns.

      In any case, any organisation that has that much personal information about people is a danger to individuals, and any organisation that controls so much of how people see the web is a danger to commerce, so until there are robust legal constraints preventing them from abusing their position, I think it is prudent to treat them as shady when they do things that look shady.

      --
      If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
    37. Re:A joke... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It absolutely is fair to call them shady. Any software that installs additional software that runs in the background without so much as telling the user about it is shady. Not to mention if you uninstall Chrome, the background Google updater service stays installed. That is the very definition of malware.

      Why does it even need that service? Why can't it be like Opera or Firefox and check for new versions when the browser is started?

    38. Re:A joke... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The auto-update feature is the best part of Chrome. It's there so that we don't have a situation like with IE6 where half the world is exposed to huge security risks and is holding back the internet's progress because they're not compatible with new features. The internet would be a much, much better place if all browsers were forced to auto-update constantly.

    39. Re:A joke... by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 1

      I write web stuff for a living, and now spend a significant fraction of my paid time working around bugs (not errors or non-standard behaviour on our part, clear "it does the wrong thing and it used to work" bugs) that Chrome and Firefox have pushed to users. Then you have to revisit things again a few weeks later, to figure out what to do about the fix/half-fix/replacement bug they put in the next update. And of course, that only works if you're operating a live web site, and these days a significant amount of web stuff is actually running on embedded web servers on devices that aren't going to get updated remotely and will simply break in response to these browser bugs. In short, the grass isn't always as green over there as it looks from this side of the street.

      In any case, the point here isn't Chrome auto-updating itself, which while not necessarily my preferred policy is at least well-documented and public knowledge. The point here is that Chrome (or something associated with it) appears to be messing with the operation of another browser, in this case, Firefox. I fail to see how such behaviour is ever appropriate.

      --
      If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
    40. Re:A joke... by Kalriath · · Score: 1

      Did it do this while offering you a "great deal" on Norton renewals from the 30 second trial installed with the PC?

      --
      For a site about things like basic rights, Slashdot users sure do like to censor "dissent".
    41. Re:A joke... by Kalriath · · Score: 1

      I have the Google Update plugin installed on my work PC without any toolbars or whatever, just Chrome. It also installs the Chrome Frame plugin for other browsers too.

      --
      For a site about things like basic rights, Slashdot users sure do like to censor "dissent".
    42. Re:A joke... by Kalriath · · Score: 1

      It can't install there because it can't silently update due to permissions. On Windows XP, it installs to "C:\Documents and Settings\User\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome" and on Vista and 7 to "C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome".

      --
      For a site about things like basic rights, Slashdot users sure do like to censor "dissent".
    43. Re:A joke... by jonadab · · Score: 1

      The only way to get Chrome to install in Program Files is to specifically hunt down and install the "Enterprise MSI" version. I'm guessing that's probably not the version that got misclassified as malware.

      The regular version of Chrome, which you get if you just search for "Google Chrome" or anything like that, installs in a folder that is not only user-writable but also hidden, and user-specific so each user has their own install of it -- exactly the same place, in fact, that things like AntiVirusSoft 2011 like to install themselves. As a network administrator, I categorically do not allow any software that does this, period.

      This does not actually mean that Chrome is malware: it's not. But it does mean I have no sympathy whatsoever for it when it gets misclassified that way by security software.

      --
      Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
  2. Microsoft to Google... by killmenow · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Oh, Woops! How did that happen?! So sorry about that Google. Totally a mistake. Totally. Our bad, really."

    Meanwhile some clueless user just switched back to IE.

    1. Re:Microsoft to Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How many clueless users do you know who use Chrome, really?

    2. Re:Microsoft to Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Chrome is an easy-to-use mainstream browser, I know lots of clueless people who've switched to it from IE after the massive ad campaigns Google ran.

    3. Re:Microsoft to Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Quite a few.

      "hey look! I'm using chrome, I can't be hit by viruses now!"

      Or better yet.

      "I'll never have a problem with viruses, I use Chrome on a Mac, both are impervious!"

    4. Re:Microsoft to Google... by Chemicles · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Right. If some bug had been discovered in some open source software and was corrected in 2 hours, the comments on the story would be a circlejerk praising the open source community.

      Microsoft realizes there's a bug, corrects it within 2 hours, and it's anti-competetive. Sheesh. They did a good job with a quick fix, can't we just acknowledge success when it happens?

    5. Re:Microsoft to Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm sure there are a lot of people like parents that have tech inclined children or friends that come over and occasionally fix the occasional issue like malware infestation. That person likely would download a different browser like Chrome or FF and set it as the default browser. The original owner now continues using the computer either not knowing, or not caring, that the browser has been changed since it operates in mostly the same manner.

    6. Re:Microsoft to Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have you lost that thing called humour?

    7. Re:Microsoft to Google... by Threni · · Score: 1

      > can't we just acknowledge success when it happens?

      I'd like to acknowledge some irony too - is that ok?

    8. Re:Microsoft to Google... by poofmeisterp · · Score: 2

      "Oh, Woops! How did that happen?! So sorry about that Google. Totally a mistake. Totally. Our bad, really."

      Meanwhile some clueless user just switched back to IE.

      I'm sorry but I have to...

      "In business news today, Google has filed a lawsuit asking for $150,000,000 in damages from Microsoft for taking one Google Chrome Internet browser user from them. This is related to the 'false positive' report by a Microsoft product that the Google browser was a virus or piece of 'malware'. Google is seeking damages for the one lost user, plus total long-term net loss based on loss of referrals and recommendations, combined with the establishment of case law to help businesses bring in more money from the loss of business than the actual performance of it now and in the future."

      /humor

    9. Re:Microsoft to Google... by ackthpt · · Score: 1

      "Oh, Woops! How did that happen?! So sorry about that Google. Totally a mistake. Totally. Our bad, really."

      Meanwhile some clueless user just switched back to IE.

      Ah, reminds me of the MSN - Opera debacle years ago. Bork Bork Bork.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    10. Re:Microsoft to Google... by DeadboltX · · Score: 1

      "hey mom, why are you using internet explorer again?"

    11. Re:Microsoft to Google... by elliott666 · · Score: 1

      How many clueless users do you know who use Chrome, really?

      If I see somebody using Chrome, that's pretty much the tipoff for cluelessness.

      Seriously? What's your tip off for a savvy user then?

    12. Re:Microsoft to Google... by Riceballsan · · Score: 0

      Sad thing is if somehow this were to go the other way, MS would be calling their anti-trust lawyers in 10 minutes. Just like how they did when they noticed hotmail was lower then gmail, and google docs ranking above microsofts cloud office on the search engine.

    13. Re:Microsoft to Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      lynx... also a tipoff for people-with-too-much-idle-time-in-their-hands or no-life :)

    14. Re:Microsoft to Google... by killmenow · · Score: 1

      Now that's funny. And I know funny. I'm a clownfish.

    15. Re:Microsoft to Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm always slightly surprised when IE allows me to download Chrome or Firefox.

    16. Re:Microsoft to Google... by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      Noob. l33t users browse with wget and cat. Yes we take in the code as it flies past our eyeballs at high speed. In fact, we don't even see the code, just blonde, brunette, redhead...

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    17. Re:Microsoft to Google... by poofmeisterp · · Score: 1

      Now that's funny. And I know funny. I'm a clownfish.

      I'll take that as a compliment. lol

    18. Re:Microsoft to Google... by DarwinSurvivor · · Score: 1

      Only every parent, aunt, uncle, grand-parent and 2nd cousin of anyone that knows anything about security. How did you THINK firefox's and chrome's market share went up so fast? Sadly, those geeks weren't there to notice that Chrome just disappeared.

    19. Re:Microsoft to Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry... My mistake, I stand corrected.
      Thank you dear sir.

    20. Re:Microsoft to Google... by ilguido · · Score: 1

      That was not a bug, it was a feature!

    21. Re:Microsoft to Google... by roc97007 · · Score: 1

      > Meanwhile some clueless user just switched back to IE.

      If your browser stops working (for whatever reason) and you switch to a browser that *does* work, I wouldn't call that "clueless". I'd call that "getting your work done".

      I might call it "lacking in administration skills" but (this is something admins really need to learn) users have their own work to do. It's not their job, nor should it be, to know the inner workings of the OS.

      Pragmatically, if this was easy to do, most of us would be out of a job. :-) Let us not bite the hands that shove cash in our pockets.

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    22. Re:Microsoft to Google... by Nyder · · Score: 2

      Right. If some bug had been discovered in some open source software and was corrected in 2 hours, the comments on the story would be a circlejerk praising the open source community.

      Microsoft realizes there's a bug, corrects it within 2 hours, and it's anti-competetive. Sheesh. They did a good job with a quick fix, can't we just acknowledge success when it happens?

      You must be new here.

      --
      Be seeing you...
    23. Re:Microsoft to Google... by egamma · · Score: 1

      "Oh, Woops! How did that happen?! So sorry about that Google. Totally a mistake. Totally. Our bad, really." Meanwhile some clueless user just switched back to IE.

      So a couple of years ago when they accidentally flagged IE as a virus, you think the user switched to Chrome? And that was Microsoft's plan too?

    24. Re:Microsoft to Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wget ?? Weak sauce. Real men use telnet.

    25. Re:Microsoft to Google... by arth1 · · Score: 1

      Surely wget is for the plebs?

      telnet slashdot.org 80 ...
      GET / HTTP/1.1
      Host: slashdot.org [2x return] ...

      or, for secure sites:
      openssl s_client -connect www.google.com:443 ...
      GET / HTTP/1.1
      Host: www.google.com [2x return] ...

    26. Re:Microsoft to Google... by DemonGenius · · Score: 1

      I'm pretty sure if Gnome prevented the install of some KDE applications there would be similar controversy, but not much since the two DEs have not had a history of being anti-competitive towards each other. Microsoft does have a long history of being anti-competitive so it is understandable if this looks just a little bit suspicious. There is a difference between a random bug and a bug that conveniently strips away a competing product.

    27. Re:Microsoft to Google... by AmberBlackCat · · Score: 1

      "Oh, Woops! How did that happen?! So sorry about that Google. Totally a mistake. Totally. Our bad, really."

      Isn't that about the same thing google said about collecting people's Wi-Fi passwords?

    28. Re:Microsoft to Google... by cyber-vandal · · Score: 0

      Because Open Source has a long history of just such practices behind it doesn't it? No, success for Microsoft, the world's third largest tech company, and king of the desktop and office suite would be not making such an obvious mistake.

    29. Re:Microsoft to Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Meanwhile some IT and knowledgeable users and their friends and family switch away from windows.

      This kind of practice is not without consequence. The good will a company builds comes crashing down quick at even the slightest misstep and it is slow to recover. It is not accurate to say this sort of thing is beneficial to microsoft (and thus perhaps intentional). The fact that you care about this mistake proves my point. This damages their reputation and their trustworthiness. This gives them some more IE users. That is a terrible short term gain in IE usage at the cost of hard to reclaim consumer perception so I would bet they did not do it intentionally.

    30. Re:Microsoft to Google... by dimeglio · · Score: 1

      Well knowing Google and Microsoft are fierce competitors, and flagging a legit application as a virus to be a very rare occurrence, I can see why people might think Microsoft was maybe less diligent with their Chrome testing. How long it took to fix it is irrelevant as Microsoft probably had the fix ready. They were just waiting for people/Google to complain about this problem.

      --
      Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the author.
    31. Re:Microsoft to Google... by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

      This is what "reputation" does to you. It allows people to assign motives to your actions, based on your previous motives. Microsoft has a long history of deliberately evil behavior.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    32. Re:Microsoft to Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kernel.org let everyone continue using their servers for 2 weeks after they were hacked.. and they were still praised for their "fast response"

    33. Re:Microsoft to Google... by ttong · · Score: 1

      Real men pick up the phone and talk 33600 baud into the horn.

    34. Re:Microsoft to Google... by microbee · · Score: 1

      No. Meanwhile some clueless user just bashed MS on /.

    35. Re:Microsoft to Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes. When you're a psuedo-monopoly, mistakes that have detrimental effects on your competitors are a serious issue. For everyone else, they're not good, but not worth commenting on. Having >80% market share means you have a responsibility not to make mistakes like this one.

  3. Virus scanner flags something that is not a virus! by nedlohs · · Score: 2

    This has never happened in all of computing history.

  4. Whoops! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    It looks like they responded within 2 hours - not bad!
    Google support ticket with issue and resolution at the top: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Chrome/thread?tid=42d6ba02d7eed070&hl=en
    I wonder what Chrome did that smelled like Win32/Zbot.

    1. Re:Whoops! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Good point. Makes you wonder what Chrome might be doing or tracking behind the scenes. Something must have triggered the virus scanner and normal program behaviour just does not do that. Just sayin'.

    2. Re:Whoops! by killmenow · · Score: 5, Funny

      I wonder what Chrome did that smelled like Win32/Zbot.

      Made IE look stupid and fat.

    3. Re:Whoops! by robmv · · Score: 1

      Installing in %APPDATA% by default is one of them

    4. Re:Whoops! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If they responded within 2 hours, they already had a patch ready...

    5. Re:Whoops! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      They've got V8 generating code at runtime, Nacl sandbox using segment registers, installer doing address relocation after decompressing (probably using custom x86-specific compression algo like Snappy), an always-running update checker, etc. It's no wonder they'd get randomly marked as a virus.

    6. Re:Whoops! by Mashiki · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Well Zbot has a lot of really broad things that you're looking for in terms of detection. So to have something legitimate being nailed wouldn't surprise me, it actually surprises me that other browsers haven't been nailed yet because they do the same things that, that includes IE, Opera and a variety of webkit based ones.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    7. Re:Whoops! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Chrome installs itself and runs itself from the local user settings directory. This is a directory that's specifically intended to be used to program data that can't/shouldn't be stored in the registry. (For example, a file cache should be stored there.)

      It's directly equivalent to UNIX $HOME/.program_name/ directories, so it would be like if Chrome installed to $HOME/.chrome/ instead of /usr/bin/.

      That's almost virus-like behavior (running programs from directories that shouldn't contain executable code), and is incredibly annoying if you use a computer that is shared between multiple users.

      However it means Chrome can update itself without causing UAC prompts, while Firefox can't, so there's that. Oh, and anything else can update Chrome without causing UAC prompts too.

    8. Re:Whoops! by AngryDeuce · · Score: 1

      causing UAC prompts

      I do not know one single person under the age of 40 that left that stupid bullshit turned on.

    9. Re:Whoops! by AdamJS · · Score: 1

      Had to be something relatively new to trigger it just now, though.

    10. Re:Whoops! by vux984 · · Score: 1

      Running windows with UAC off is like running unix as root.

      Only idiots do that.

      Granted running windows with UAC on was a bit painful, especially when it was first launched because it was a tad overbearing, and we had a large ecosystem of applications that wrote to folders and registry areas they had no legitimate business in do to lazy or outright bad programming...

      But between windows 7 improving the experience and more importantly the general effort of the software developer community to conform to the rules so that their software no longer needs a plethora of "root level" priviledges just to run a basic user level application...
      Windows got a lot better than it was.

    11. Re:Whoops! by AngryDeuce · · Score: 1

      No, only idiots run software that is questionable enough to require UAC in the first place.

    12. Re:Whoops! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uh, no. UAC is useless. It just asks you "proceed or don't?"

      It doesn't tell you what's asking for your permission or what it's asking for permission to do.

      Well, it does, but it uses the process name, so it's something meaningless like: "setup.exe wants permission to write to your hard drive. Cancel or allow?"

      Fuck should I know?

      You're better off just turning it off, you're just as secure with it off as on.

    13. Re:Whoops! by Riceballsan · · Score: 1

      That actually is the inteligent way to run a program that is expected to be updated on a frequent basis. UAC is rendered Virtually useless due to the huge flaw of it being expected for everything. If you are warned before doing anything at all at any time for any reason, you stop listening to the warnings and just hitting OK. UAC's vista implimentation would be best analogied by a safety guard made for kids that warns them when they are about to do something dangerous "You are about to cross the street, are you sure the road is safe", which was a good idea, until it got so losely defined everything asked for it. "You are about to stand up, are you sure?, you are about to sit down, are you sure, you are about to drink a glass of water....". After a day of it you go from "oh it prompted me, I should take this seriously", to "gah another bloody prompt, yes". Not to mention, do you really want your browser getting admin privilages, even for a few seconds?

    14. Re:Whoops! by PCM2 · · Score: 2

      Uh, no. UAC is useless. It just asks you "proceed or don't?"

      It doesn't tell you what's asking for your permission or what it's asking for permission to do.

      So kind of like sudo, then. Or the "give me the admin password" dialog boxes on Ubuntu.

      --
      Breakfast served all day!
    15. Re:Whoops! by PCM2 · · Score: 1

      UAC's vista implimentation would be best analogied by ...

      Which is why they changed how it was implemented in Windows 7. It's not "expected for everything" (and wasn't really in Vista, either). You literally almost never see a UAC dialog box except when you're installing software.

      --
      Breakfast served all day!
    16. Re:Whoops! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Not even slightly like those. First off, with sudo, you're explicitly saying "give me super user privileges" - it's not the OS doing it for no defined reason.

      Secondly, in Ubuntu, you only run across that dialog when updating or installing software, and it's always in response to explicitly clicking on a button, and even then, the dialog box provides a clear reason WHY you need your password.

      In both cases that's NOTHING like UAC.

    17. Re:Whoops! by jonadab · · Score: 1

      Installing in a user-writable location is a good start. Add heavy network activity and automatically updating itself without administrator approval on top of that, and heuristically speaking it starts to look very much indeed like malware.

      --
      Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
    18. Re:Whoops! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Seems like it would have been the other way around. The malware must have started doing something that Chrome has always done, since definitions file had to be updated to cause the issue and it apparently wasn't maliciously detecting the same version of Chrome with the previous definitions.

    19. Re:Whoops! by FoolishOwl · · Score: 1

      Among other things, UAC means that the executable can't proceed without human intervention, thus exposing the fact that an application is doing something. That makes it much harder for a virus or worm to do its business without detection.

      Sure, it would be great if our dog could say, "Pardon me, but there are some men here moving the television set", but it helps just to have the dog barking. Now you know something is up.

    20. Re:Whoops! by vux984 · · Score: 2

      First off, with sudo, you're explicitly saying "give me super user privileges" - it's not the OS doing it for no defined reason.

      Right, sudo is like selecting "run as administrator", which is for a defined reason.

      Secondly, in Ubuntu, you only run across that dialog when updating or installing software,

      Or altering certain settings.... or hardware related...


        and it's always in response to explicitly clicking on a button

      No its not. It can pop up resulting from a scheduled script, or triggered by other events.

      the dialog box provides a clear reason WHY you need your password.

      In my experience its no more clear than the reasons UAC gives.

      In both cases that's NOTHING like UAC.

      Sure if by "nothing like" one means "exactly like".

    21. Re:Whoops! by vux984 · · Score: 1

      No, only idiots run software that is questionable enough to require UAC in the first place.

      Meh... One could say much the same about SELinux really.

    22. Re:Whoops! by vux984 · · Score: 1

      it's something meaningless like: "setup.exe wants permission to write to your hard drive. Cancel or allow?"

      Fuck should I know?

      Yes, you should have some vague sense that you had just initiated an install...

      What would you like it to to do exactly?

    23. Re:Whoops! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It smelled like a bot that is killing IE (which it already did!)

    24. Re:Whoops! by trolman · · Score: 1

      It looks like they responded within 2 hours - not bad! Google support ticket with issue and resolution at the top: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Chrome/thread?tid=42d6ba02d7eed070&hl=en I wonder what Chrome did that smelled like Win32/Zbot.

      Made IE look like a turd, I would say. I like Chrome, IE, and Mozilla in that order. Mozilla needs to hit the gym.

    25. Re:Whoops! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Differentiate between "writing a bunch of files to a new directory in Program Files" (correct installer behavior) and "delete your hard drive and your backups too" (trojan behavior).

      Which it doesn't. All UAC says is "something wants to access your computer. That OK?"

      Uh, sure. Why not. Go for it.

      Oh, apparently that meant "turn my computer into a spambot." Gee, it would have been nice if UAC told me that the program wanted to start accessing the network, too bad it DOESN'T.

  5. It is a virus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Chrome is a virus. You see, it has caused the marketing people at Mozilla to go crazy with the numbering scheme of FF and as a result, borked up my once good to use user interface into a complete mess of new design, misplaced buttons, screwy single menus and a whole host of unusable extensions. Chrome is a virus... that has killed Firefox.

    1. Re:It is a virus by baka_toroi · · Score: 1

      Sorry, they had it coming. Nobody told them to be more like Chrome.

    2. Re:It is a virus by CuriousGeorge113 · · Score: 1

      ... and Firefox is a virus that killed IE.

      ... and IE is a virus that killed Netscape Navigator.

      --
      No man is an island, But if you take a bunch of dead guys and tie them together, they make a pretty good raft.
    3. Re:It is a virus by lexman098 · · Score: 0

      You're doing it wrong. One of the biggest (if not *the* biggest) advantage to using firefox is the customizability of the UI. You can change the buttons back to how you want and ditch the new single-menu entirely. Also, try fitting everything you need into the title-bar with Chrome.

  6. Re:Holy crap! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    More Windows users do use it than not, I would suspect. It's free and works just as well as the pay-for competitors. So why not?

  7. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As a McAfee employee, I can personally attest to the veracity of your claim.

  8. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Obviously was on purpose because Micro$oft is evil and Google does no evil.

  9. MSE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

    I've found MSE to be terrible at false positives, flagging more than one perfectly valid file on my computer as some sort of malware.

    Worse is that if I tell MSE to let me decide what to do with it, then go look up whether someone else had this problem and/or research the virus or whatever, MSE will *automatically* decide after a short time that it needs to delete it and will do so.

    It was at this point when I removed MSE in disgust and promised never to touch that filth ever again.

    1. Re:MSE by Dunega · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Never had a single false positive with it. Odds are your's aren't. Beat it trollboy.

    2. Re:MSE by poofmeisterp · · Score: 1

      I've found MSE to be terrible at false positives, flagging more than one perfectly valid file on my computer as some sort of malware.

      Worse is that if I tell MSE to let me decide what to do with it, then go look up whether someone else had this problem and/or research the virus or whatever, MSE will *automatically* decide after a short time that it needs to delete it and will do so.

      It was at this point when I removed MSE in disgust and promised never to touch that filth ever again.

      It's a hush-hush move on MS' part to encourage the individual to research on their own before acting. :)

      HUMOR, HUMOR.

    3. Re:MSE by Sylak · · Score: 1

      I've had heuristics tell me "i don't know what this is, i'm showing it to Microsoft is that okay?" but the only "false" positives have only been things named keygen.exe and once renamed, it found nothing wrong with (most) of them ;)

    4. Re:MSE by AngryDeuce · · Score: 1

      I'd bet almost anything this guy has Limewire installed on his computer. "False Positives", indeed....

    5. Re:MSE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'll bet all the responses to this are from Microsoft.

      FUD seems to be their only weapon to keep their shitware on people's computers.

    6. Re:MSE by PCM2 · · Score: 1

      I never thought of renaming the keygens. MSE has told me on several occasions that keygens are very specific, very likely-sounding Trojans. I kinda believe it. But I'll try renaming one next time.

      --
      Breakfast served all day!
  10. Re:Holy crap! by roc97007 · · Score: 1

    ...but does it work just as well as the free competitors?

    --
    Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
  11. Why is this even posted? by cornface · · Score: 1

    Even if the problem wasn't so completely lacking in newsworthiness, it was already fixed before the article got posted, so why even bother posting it?

    1. Re:Why is this even posted? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uh, how about to warn all the IT guys out there to expect a lot of complaints about Chrome... (They come off as smarter if they know the answer before you finish the question.)

    2. Re:Why is this even posted? by gtirloni · · Score: 1

      Like Slashdot would pass a chance to bash Microsoft.. ha!

      --
      none
    3. Re:Why is this even posted? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Like Slashdot would pass a chance to bash Microsoft.. ha!

      Indeed.

    4. Re:Why is this even posted? by cornface · · Score: 1

      It has already been fixed. The time to warn all the IT guys would have been when it was first reported.

      Although at least it was only posted a few hours late instead of days late like usual.

    5. Re:Why is this even posted? by Blakey+Rat · · Score: 1

      Hey, usually Slashdot is about 2-3 days behind the news curve, this is lightning speed for this site.

      It also allows an opportunity for stupid people to bash Microsoft.

    6. Re:Why is this even posted? by robmv · · Score: 1

      In that 2 hours before the fix, an entire company PCs could have updated their signatures by IT policies and resulting in Chrome removed, or do you think the fix reinstall it?

    7. Re:Why is this even posted? by cornface · · Score: 1

      I would respond to that but you will surely just change your argument again.

    8. Re:Why is this even posted? by robmv · · Score: 1

      do not know why you say again, I am not one of the parent ACs. Think you live outside your time zone. A company has a policy to use wake on lan and apply patches, on that country is night when that the bad update was live. IT expect to receive a lot of complaints the next morning, for them this is a warning before that happens. Why hide it?

    9. Re:Why is this even posted? by Jeng · · Score: 1

      Why it is time for everyone's favorite reality show.

      It's

      Five Minutes of Hate!!

      Where you can hurl hate for fun and prizes!

      Remember, it's not just fun, it makes you a better citizen.

      --
      Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
    10. Re:Why is this even posted? by cyber-vandal · · Score: 1

      You mean people who have working memories.

    11. Re:Why is this even posted? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amen Brother!

    12. Re:Why is this even posted? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      smart people bash microsoft too, bro!

  12. Re:Holy crap! by bloodhawk · · Score: 4, Informative

    It is as good as most of the competitors products, plus its free and doesn't bog down the system or constantly nag you with useless information.

  13. Re:Holy crap! by maxume · · Score: 2

    It is probably the best free antivirus.

    --
    Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
  14. Well, it includes a virus... by gstrickler · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ...known as Adobe Flash.

    --
    make imaginary.friends COUNT=100 VISIBLE=false
  15. Re:Holy crap! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I boot my windows partition about once a month and don't care enough to install another free antivirus

  16. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by roc97007 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Right. Let's face it, Microsoft would have done this on purpose if they had thought of it and thought they could get away with it, but chances are, this was an honest mistake. Test by: the regular (but hopefully infrequent) false positives you get from any antivirus product. Also test by: the speed at which M$ corrected it. Probably nothing to see here.

    --
    Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
  17. Shoe's on the other foot by Cro+Magnon · · Score: 4, Funny

    After all the times AV products have flagged Windows system files!

    --
    Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
  18. Re:Holy crap! by alphatel · · Score: 1

    Sadly, there's nothing better than MSSE + a good AV/AS firewall.

    --
    When the foot seeks the place of the head, the line is crossed. Know your place. Keep your place. Be a shoe.
  19. Re:Holy crap! by treeves · · Score: 1

    I'm using it right now!

    --
    ...the future crusty old bastards are already drinking the Kool-Aid.
  20. Welcome to Botnet. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Security product analyzes and detects a botnet. Wants to remove botnet. People are surprised.

  21. Re:Holy crap! by spiffmastercow · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Actually, it works quite a bit better. And since it isn't an income source, it doesn't nag you constantly.

  22. A History of "Accidental" Flaggings by sehlat · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Not the first time MSFT has flagged competing products as viruses.

    Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.

    And one more reason not to trust Microsoft's "security."

    1. Re:A History of "Accidental" Flaggings by grimmjeeper · · Score: 1

      Except for the fact that every security product has a plethora of false positives, I might believe your theory

      This kind of error is far too obvious to be deliberate. When Microsoft wants to undermine a competitor, they're far more subtle about it.

    2. Re:A History of "Accidental" Flaggings by perlchild · · Score: 1

      The biggest problems with false positives in most antiviruses isn't the false positives, it's that you can't do anything about them until they issue a fix. If you could just tell them "I know what I'm doing, this particular file is ok"without "disable yourself, you're fucked and need a doctor" it would be a lot more tolerable. It would also make accusations of "you're doing this to make people switch" a lot less believable.

    3. Re:A History of "Accidental" Flaggings by robmv · · Score: 1

      Some have a setting to tell the AV to ignore some directories. I used it when AVG flagged one of our DLLs (resource DLL, only icons, no code) as a virus, they did not respond to our request to check their signatures. So We recommended that setting to our customers or change antivirus

    4. Re:A History of "Accidental" Flaggings by hedwards · · Score: 1

      I tend to get annoyed by software that only allows you to set exceptions by path and name, without any provision for identical files in multiple places.

    5. Re:A History of "Accidental" Flaggings by supermank17 · · Score: 1

      Really? It was fixed within 2 hours. My suspicion is that it was just a simple mistake. That, or some of the somewhat questionable methods that Chrome uses to keep itself updated (running background processes continuously, etc.) ended up just being too close to the Zbot signature.

    6. Re:A History of "Accidental" Flaggings by BitwiseX · · Score: 1

      Not the first time MSFT has flagged competing products as viruses.

      Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.

      And one more reason not to trust Microsoft's "security."

      How is it that this was modded "Insightful", without a single citation, link or anything?
      Please share with us. I did a couple quick searches and didn't find anything else, (but I didn't spend a lot of time I'm it.. I'm at work like the rest of you.)
      Two things I'd like to mention:

      • A very large chunk of what MSE scans is a "competing product".
      • EVERY Antivirus has false positives from time to time.

      I am curious to see the other 2 in this list, and when they were discovered. Anybody?

    7. Re:A History of "Accidental" Flaggings by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Find me a virus scanner that has not once ever come up with a false positive. I bet you can't do it. Please think before jumping to dumb tin foil hattery.

    8. Re:A History of "Accidental" Flaggings by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      When Microsoft wants to undermine a competitor, they're far more subtle about it.

      Yes, they sue them.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    9. Re:A History of "Accidental" Flaggings by grimmjeeper · · Score: 1

      Not always. They've driven competitors out of business by building in incompatibilities that break existing functionality. More than once.

    10. Re:A History of "Accidental" Flaggings by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In the case of MSSE you can just add the chrome executable to it's exclusion list, actually.

  23. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No its because they were arguing yesterday on Twitter.

  24. It is ranked better than most by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But that only means it responds better to the tests.

    Don't know if it is that good at capturing new, unknown threats like very products do.

    1. Re:It is ranked better than most by Riceballsan · · Score: 1

      In my experience for typical users it works better, lately checking AV comparitives, MSE is falling lower and lower on the list of effective catches. MSE's greatest stregnth however, is it's ability to work silently, with a small footprint. When working as a PC tech, my greatest nusance was when after removing a virus, I would load up a PC with avira, run them on firefox, install ad-block. Take 30 minutes teaching them about everything, then I would get a call back 2 weeks later and discover, they disabled avira due to being annoyed by "the pop-ups", and used IE, and were flooded with infections again. MSE has the perk of more or less being so out of the way they don't even notice it. Bottom line, users are getting less and less inteligent, and having idiot proof protection that catches 75% of possible threats, for many users is better then a fictional piece of software that eliminates 100% of threats, but is annoying enough that your dumb users turn it off.

    2. Re:It is ranked better than most by TheRealGrogan · · Score: 1

      Avira has the better detections, but yes... when I come back several months later and find it in a dysfunctional state because the user didn't upgrade the program, or didn't notice that the umbrella wasn't opening anymore, or didn't notice that it's not even loading I have to switch them to something else.

  25. Re:Holy crap! by grimmjeeper · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm betting you meant to suggest that the state of security software is pretty wretched these days rather than heap praise on MSSE. Am I right?

  26. Not really that bad. by JustAnotherIdiot · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's not as bad as McAfee's "Oh hey, that important system file, you're not using it right? *delete*"
    One of my friends was at work for nearly 2 weeks straight after that fiasco.

    --
    What do I know, I'm just an idiot, right?
    1. Re:Not really that bad. by owlstead · · Score: 1

      Or the fact that they can scan .zip files, but they don't seem to be able to delete files from them for some reaons. First of all, their scanning a single 32K .zip file takes forever and ever (and ever). It seems you can set a limit, but I won't go into the fact that virus makes would immediately exploit that fact. Then my IT dept set the virusscanner to delete any file with a virus. That was the end of 50 GB of backup .zip file (because it found one slightly dodgy file that I clearly labeled as such).

      McAfee has certainly cost me 100x more grieve than any virus could have done. And it keeps doing it that to me each and every day at work. Previously it was Windows that slowed everything down to a crawl. Now it's McAfee (closely followed by Adobe, which causes so many browser and PDF reader crashes it is not funny anymore).

    2. Re:Not really that bad. by trolman · · Score: 1

      It's not as bad as McAfee's "Oh hey, that important system file, you're not using it right? *delete*" One of my friends was at work for nearly 2 weeks straight after that fiasco.

      I would say Trend Micro Officescan is the Chrome of AV. In order Trend Micro, AVG, and that Russian doughnut thing. The others don't get a mention.

  27. Re:Holy crap! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Actually, it works quite a bit better. And since it isn't an income source, it doesn't nag you constantly.

    See that's what I love about Linux. I never see a nag screen. I also have a real package manager too, so I don't have an icon tray full of little annoying pop-ups telling me that such-and-such has an update and that i really need to separately update each individual program one at a time...

    If you like putting up with that go ahead. I prefer knowing I can i.e. edit a document without being distracted, advertised to, nagged, reminded of things that should be automated, etc.

  28. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As a McAfee employee, how did you manage to post this without your products flagging and quarantining half of your system?

  29. Latest in anti-competitive practices by MS. by idbeholda · · Score: 2

    The real reason Microsoft is flagging Chrome as a virus. Since Chrome appears to be a legitimate threat to IE (unlike FF), if enough users believe that Chrome *IS* a virus, perhaps IE will reign undisputed King Of The Browsers.

    1. Re:Latest in anti-competitive practices by MS. by maxume · · Score: 1

      Take the "is" out of your first sentence and replace it with "was briefly".

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
    2. Re:Latest in anti-competitive practices by MS. by hedwards · · Score: 1

      Or, Chrome often times gets on a user's system the way that malware does, via an opt out in some shady software. If Google doesn't want their products treated like malware, then they really need to stop with that kind of shady distribution tactic.

      In this case it's almost certainly a mistake.

    3. Re:Latest in anti-competitive practices by MS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Or maybe it's because the updater spreads like a cancer *without* asking the user first, and there's no easy way to get rid of it.

  30. Re:Cue spooky conspiracy music by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The difference is: Microsoft has a reputation as a strongly anti-competitive company.

  31. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You think I actually use our products?!

  32. GG Microsoft by Murdoch5 · · Score: 0

    I really hope that the next big virus ends up being Windows itself. Microsoft only needs security essentials because they still don't know how to do secure design and secure programming. If Linux can be virus free and Unix can be virus free then really what is Microsoft's excuse, a 2nd rate OS with 10th rate performance.

    1. Re:GG Microsoft by Riceballsan · · Score: 0

      With all do respect while I do think linux has a far better security model in many ways, I don't think it would be anywhere close to virus free if it gained high popularity. That being said, I do theorize that if it were the main OS viri themselves would likely be far less of a regular factor. I would bet that AVs on linux would be far more likely to catch things, then they are on windows, and that privilage escalations and rootkits would be a much lesser occorance. IMO the biggest flaw with the windows security model is more or less in how they have trained people to develop for it. Games/common software designed with windows in mind, when they update, want admin privilages etc... Basically microsoft trains the end users to think nothing about clicking that allow button in UAC to any random program that asks. Programs designed in linux, if they have an auto updater tend to design it to download and use the updates within the home directory, if something wants admin rights other then the main package manager, you would think twice. Yes on a user level every OS is equally vulnerable, and that is all a malicious hacker needs to throw up one of those retarted fake AVs or whatever they need, my biggest gripe on fixing windows systems, is how often either the system is rooted (rendering normal AV's worthless). Yes I know that all forms of unix have had rootkits in the past (that's why they are called rootkits), but I do think the linux community is far faster at patching vulns that lead to rootkits then microsoft, and have a high chance that the rootkit makers would give up on the arms race.

  33. Not the first thing IE has done. by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 2

    Patches to IE9 break g-mail's formatting.

    --
    "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  34. Re:Holy crap! by spiffmastercow · · Score: 1

    Actually, it works quite a bit better. And since it isn't an income source, it doesn't nag you constantly.

    See that's what I love about Linux. I never see a nag screen. I also have a real package manager too, so I don't have an icon tray full of little annoying pop-ups telling me that such-and-such has an update and that i really need to separately update each individual program one at a time... If you like putting up with that go ahead. I prefer knowing I can i.e. edit a document without being distracted, advertised to, nagged, reminded of things that should be automated, etc.

    Looks like we're under a smug alert.. I always find it interesting when Linux fanboys assume that because someone uses Windows, it means they only use Windows.

  35. Re:NOT A joke... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It *should* have flagged it as spyware.

  36. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the speed at which M$ corrected it.

    It is almost like they knew about it and had a fix ready.

  37. Re:Holy crap! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Actually, it works quite a bit better. And since it isn't an income source, it doesn't nag you constantly.

    See that's what I love about Linux. I never see a nag screen. I also have a real package manager too, so I don't have an icon tray full of little annoying pop-ups telling me that such-and-such has an update and that i really need to separately update each individual program one at a time... If you like putting up with that go ahead. I prefer knowing I can i.e. edit a document without being distracted, advertised to, nagged, reminded of things that should be automated, etc.

    Looks like we're under a smug alert.. I always find it interesting when Linux fanboys assume that because someone uses Windows, it means they only use Windows.

    Looks like we're under a defensive dumbass alert... I always find it interesting when thoughtless persons assume that because someone uses multiple operating systems, it makes your comments about a particular one of those operating systems somehow less true.

    What I said about Windows applies to you when you are using Windows. This doesn't change just because you aren't always using Windows. Logic fail. You might as well say that because swans are birds, therefore all birds must be swans. But please keep accusing me of smugness because I don't like Windows, you seem so competent to assess this.

  38. Re:Holy crap! by Synerg1y · · Score: 1

    Yep, http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/collection/5928/2011_free_av.html it's just about on any list....

    I remember back in 2010 it hit like #2 in terms of detection, but I can't find that study anymore, it hit like 99.5+% detection. Made me go hmm, I guess MS knows their own shit best. It works, it really does, it's just not very advertised or known because it's free and MS won't spend revenue telling newbs to download it. I prefer it over the ESET we use at work actually, it doesn't f w your system like norton and mcafee do. On that note, I can set up comodo via f'in w my system for a while to be the superior product by a mile, but that probably requires some serious computer knowledge, I can't tell anymore :)

  39. Re:NOT A joke... by dicobalt · · Score: 1

    I was just going to say that.

  40. Grrr..... by dfannman · · Score: 1

    Wasted a good portion of the morning hunting down a non-existent threat.

    1. Re:Grrr..... by ColdWetDog · · Score: 2

      Wasted a good portion of the morning hunting down a non-existent threat.

      Instead of hanging out at Slashdot? Shame on you.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  41. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and/or apologies if redundant/flamey.

  42. That's often the sign of a hook by GerardAtJob · · Score: 1

    If a product have been detected as a virus, it's often because of keyboard/mouse hook.
    Google want to know EVERYTHING ;)

    --
    I can't call that English ;-)
  43. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Quiz for ya, Mr. Serious:

    What's a five-letter word that begins with an 'H' and ends with an 'R', has a 'U' in the middle, and relates to the use of satire or comical remarks to spark a laugh or amusement in others?

    I think the comment you replied to had some of it in it.

  44. Re:Holy crap! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    On second thought, I'm sorry I called you a dumbass, man. I'm being kind of a dick today; I think my meds need to be reevaluated.

  45. Re:Holy crap! by Jeng · · Score: 1

    I install it on peoples computers who are incapable of re-registering Avast.

    Not the best solution, but it doesn't require user intervention unless something really goes wrong. Good for people who have no fucking clue what they are doing.

    --
    Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
  46. Re:Holy crap! by snowraver1 · · Score: 1

    I think he's referring to the fact the the "best" antivirus solution isn't really the best at catching viruses. It just happens to be the best at not making your computer run like crap.

    --
    Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. This comment may not be copied in any way including, but not limited to caching.
  47. Re:Holy crap! by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

    You should try it, it's actually pretty good.

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  48. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by VMSBIGOT · · Score: 1

    Isn't it about time for your product to remove a critical system component such as LSASS or WinLogon?

  49. Re:Holy crap! by spiffmastercow · · Score: 2

    Actually, it works quite a bit better. And since it isn't an income source, it doesn't nag you constantly.

    See that's what I love about Linux. I never see a nag screen. I also have a real package manager too, so I don't have an icon tray full of little annoying pop-ups telling me that such-and-such has an update and that i really need to separately update each individual program one at a time... If you like putting up with that go ahead. I prefer knowing I can i.e. edit a document without being distracted, advertised to, nagged, reminded of things that should be automated, etc.

    Looks like we're under a smug alert.. I always find it interesting when Linux fanboys assume that because someone uses Windows, it means they only use Windows.

    Looks like we're under a defensive dumbass alert... I always find it interesting when thoughtless persons assume that because someone uses multiple operating systems, it makes your comments about a particular one of those operating systems somehow less true. What I said about Windows applies to you when you are using Windows. This doesn't change just because you aren't always using Windows. Logic fail. You might as well say that because swans are birds, therefore all birds must be swans. But please keep accusing me of smugness because I don't like Windows, you seem so competent to assess this.

    Looks like we're under a myopic moron alert. I always find it interesting when someone can't see any circumstance where someone would use a piece of software other than his preferred piece of software. What I said about the Security Essentials is true when I'm using Windows. What's also true when I'm using windows is that I'm a.) able to play games without spending 2 days looking for workarounds to get the game to run 5 minutes in Wine before it crashes, and b.) able to make money writing windows apps. That, combined with the fact that I don't have to put up with the nagging and such because I use SE, don't install malware, etc. makes for a fine case for using Windows when it suits my needs.

  50. Re:Holy crap! by AngryDeuce · · Score: 1

    Why not? Common Sense 2.0 covers the big things, MSE is just an insurance policy...

  51. Makes me really glad... by Just+Brew+It! · · Score: 1

    ...that my primary OS at home and work is Linux. I guess I'd better check when I go into the office on Monday whether Chrome has been removed from my Windows VM; but given that the Windows VM is primarily used to access the corporate Intranet (most of which absolutely requires IE anyhow, don't get me started...), losing Chrome from there isn't the end of the world. I do 99% of my web access from the Linux host system!

    1. Re:Makes me really glad... by jank1887 · · Score: 1

      crap. if it delete's my saved Angry Birds chrome app levels, I'm gonna be pissed.

    2. Re:Makes me really glad... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, so you're running Symantec then?

      Dude I'm with you, for now, running Linux without AV protection and loving it. But, I'm also not so smug or stupid to think that this will last forever. Linux is not so special or secure. Its day will come. There will be a root kit, of there isn't already, that ruins your day and males it so that you and I will look very stupid for not running some form of protection, that is already available from all of the usual suspects.

      It's almost certain to happen, though I think(hope) that Mac will be the canary in the coal mine and get rooted before Linux. OSs are just way too complex to be secure. And then there are users...

    3. Re:Makes me really glad... by Just+Brew+It! · · Score: 1

      Oh, I've got no illusions here. I do believe Linux is inherently more secure, but only marginally. The main reason we don't hear about Linux malware on a daily basis is that the installed base is too small for the malware authors to seriously target it.

  52. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by roc97007 · · Score: 1

    > You think in 2011 microsoft can't possible have come up with a whitelist, or a way to remove a legitimately installed program other than uninstalling it, like deleting the executable (standard antivirus response)?

    It's certainly technically possible, but why would Microsoft care about whitelisting Google apps? What does that buy them? Especially for an app Microsoft is giving away for free?

    Moreover, even if they had not intended to bugger Chrome, it's not like Microsoft hasn't made phenomenally stupid mistakes in the past. This could have been yet another.

    --
    Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
  53. It's a joke, son! A joke, I say! by killmenow · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The righteous indignation is strong with this one. The way I figure it, upon confronting humor, you have three options: (a) laughing because you think it's funny; (b) not laughing because it's not funny to you; and, (42) taking it seriously, getting offended, lecturing the jokester and proving yourself humorless.

    I applaud your choice, good sir! 42 is always the right answer.

    1. Re:It's a joke, son! A joke, I say! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which is why the OP was moderated as +5 Insightful.

    2. Re:It's a joke, son! A joke, I say! by poofmeisterp · · Score: 1

      I applaud your choice, good sir! 42 is always the right answer.

      Careful.... 62% of geeks cannot recognize or do not know what dry humor is. :>

    3. Re:It's a joke, son! A joke, I say! by killmenow · · Score: 1

      Hey, I always shoot for +5, Funny. But there's no accounting for taste!

  54. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by AngryDeuce · · Score: 1

    As a Symantec employee, you're a liar!!!! Viruses are everywhere, block ALL the things!!!!!

  55. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by DarwinSurvivor · · Score: 1

    Microsoft puts most updates out once a week. Most users that actually update their software and run A/V tests do it at least once a week, so it only needs to be "wrong" for that one week.

  56. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by Joe+Jay+Bee · · Score: 1

    What's a five-letter word that begins with an 'H' and ends with an 'R', has a 'U' in the middle, and relates to the use of satire or comical remarks to spark a laugh or amusement in others?

    "HURRR", as in "HURRR DURRRRRRR"?

  57. Re:NOT A joke... by who_stole_my_kidneys · · Score: 1

    +1 the above comment.

  58. Re:Holy crap! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I already said I was sorry. Jeez... can't you see I'm in crisis?

  59. Re:Holy crap! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    your unsolicited apology adds nothing to the lolocity of a good flamage

  60. What's the trigger? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's the trigger? Are they detecting the code that calls out to the 'net and updates it without prompting the user? That's the one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb about Chrome as potentially giving it a virulent profile.

    1. Re:What's the trigger? by TrueSpeed · · Score: 1

      Byte signature probably.

  61. Re:NOT A joke... by countertrolling · · Score: 1

    Wait! You're both right! It's spyware AND a virus! Two taste treats in one!

    No, wait.. It's a floor-wax AND a dessert topping!

    Welcome to my nightmare

    --
    For justice, we must go to Don Corleone
  62. Not w/ the disgruntled Penguins here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They're pissed they poured lives into a last place PC and Server OS that's proving it's true self on mobile phones what with ANDROID being shown to be a security nightmare. Thank goodness penguins can at least keep some measure of dignity in their security by obscurity/lack of usership illusions at least on the PC's and Servers overall usership front (Windows is #1 most used overall and after all, there). Given the example of ANDROID, if Linux ever took first place in usership/marketshare, even though it hasn't and it's GIVEN AWAY FOR FREE (should be winning on that alone, but note that it's not, defying reason actually), we'd have a security nightmare on our hands in PC and Serverdom, just like is being seen on ANDROID!

  63. Accidents with other AV vendors by phorm · · Score: 1

    I seem to remember a case not that long ago where a popular AV product would accidentally flag+nuke an (uninfected) core windows file, rendering systems unbootable.

    I'm willing to chalk this one up to stupid - but not deliberate - mistake.

  64. No, it wasn't. by artor3 · · Score: 1

    There is absolutely nothing in the OP to suggest any sort of humor. It received four insightful mods, and not a single funny mod, so it's pretty clear that most people who read it agree with me.

    Trying to claim that you were "only joking!" after someone disagrees with you is one of the most tiresome debate tactics imaginable.

    1. Re:No, it wasn't. by killmenow · · Score: 1

      There is absolutely nothing in the OP to suggest any sort of humor. It received four insightful mods, and not a single funny mod, so it's pretty clear that most people who read it agree with me.

      THAT'S THE JOKE!

    2. Re:No, it wasn't. by poofmeisterp · · Score: 1

      Okay was the comment above yours dry humor or dry ice humor?

    3. Re:No, it wasn't. by Raenex · · Score: 1

      Meanwhile some clueless user just switched back to IE.

      This line at the end takes it from funny to trying to make a point while being funny.

    4. Re:No, it wasn't. by Kalriath · · Score: 1

      Ice humour?

      Can you touch it?

      --
      For a site about things like basic rights, Slashdot users sure do like to censor "dissent".
    5. Re:No, it wasn't. by poofmeisterp · · Score: 1

      Bagginess of pants determines the answer. Sorry, all out of style here.

  65. Re:Holy crap! by RightSaidFred99 · · Score: 1

    Ahh, misplaced sarcasm, the second lamest sarcasm (next to plausible sarcasm).

  66. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by poetmatt · · Score: 1

    again, you are skipping the other part: why, ever, could be labeled an accident, that removing a particular malware = uninstalling a legitimate program? no malware in the world would ever follow proper windows uninstall processes.

  67. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by arth1 · · Score: 2

    What's a five-letter word that begins with an 'H' and ends with an 'R', has a 'U' in the middle

    egrep -i '^H.U.R$' /usr/share/dict/*
    surnames:Hauer

    What do I win?

  68. Google's fix by countertrolling · · Score: 3, Funny

    Disguise it as an FBI key logger

    --
    For justice, we must go to Don Corleone
  69. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by JustSomeProgrammer · · Score: 1

    It was fixed in two hours... and released...

  70. Well, that's one way.. by TrueSpeed · · Score: 2

    to eliminate competition in the browser space.

  71. me thinks this has been going on for a while now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Seems like everytime they do a virus cleanup around here chrome mysteriously disappears ... now i guess we know why ...

  72. Re:Holy crap! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Actually, it works quite a bit better. And since it isn't an income source, it doesn't nag you constantly.

    See that's what I love about Linux. I never see a nag screen. I also have a real package manager too, so I don't have an icon tray full of little annoying pop-ups telling me that such-and-such has an update and that i really need to separately update each individual program one at a time... If you like putting up with that go ahead. I prefer knowing I can i.e. edit a document without being distracted, advertised to, nagged, reminded of things that should be automated, etc.

    Looks like we're under a smug alert.. I always find it interesting when Linux fanboys assume that because someone uses Windows, it means they only use Windows.

    Looks like we're under a defensive dumbass alert... I always find it interesting when thoughtless persons assume that because someone uses multiple operating systems, it makes your comments about a particular one of those operating systems somehow less true. What I said about Windows applies to you when you are using Windows. This doesn't change just because you aren't always using Windows. Logic fail. You might as well say that because swans are birds, therefore all birds must be swans. But please keep accusing me of smugness because I don't like Windows, you seem so competent to assess this.

    Looks like we're under a myopic moron alert. I always find it interesting when someone can't see any circumstance where someone would use a piece of software other than his preferred piece of software. What I said about the Security Essentials is true when I'm using Windows. What's also true when I'm using windows is that I'm a.) able to play games without spending 2 days looking for workarounds to get the game to run 5 minutes in Wine before it crashes, and b.) able to make money writing windows apps. That, combined with the fact that I don't have to put up with the nagging and such because I use SE, don't install malware, etc. makes for a fine case for using Windows when it suits my needs.

    Hey cool, it's an insecure imbecile alert. I always find it interesting when you can't say "hey I like Linux and this is what I like about it" without some Windows weenie turning that into "no one should ever use Windows because I don't use Windows".

    Yes, I can see a circumstance where someone would use Windows. There are lots of them. That doesn't mean Windows has no nuisances. That doesn't mean I am happy not to experience those nuisances when I am not using Windows. Are you starting to see how reactive and insecure you are? Because believe me, everybody else does.

    Protip: if you are angry and start responding to things the other guy never said, you're going to look and feel like an idiot.

  73. Re:Holy crap! by spiffmastercow · · Score: 1

    Protip: if you are angry and start responding to things the other guy never said, you're going to look and feel like an idiot.

    Okay, let's look back at what was said:

    If you like putting up with that go ahead. I prefer knowing I can i.e. edit a document without being distracted, advertised to, nagged, reminded of things that should be automated, etc.

    That's a pretty strong implication that you (or whichever AC originally posted) does not "put up" with Windows, as well as a veiled insult towards those who do. I merely pointed out that there are legitimate reasons for using Windows, and that the product in TFA improves on the experience of using said OS.

  74. Not a problem here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    new design - You're complaining about new design in a new version of Firefox? Generally, new design is to be expected in new software releases. If you insist on updating, man up about it.

    misplaced buttons - I love the Tabs on top approach, it makes a line for the title bar unnecessary which saves about 20 pixels of vertical space. (Vertical space is at a premium on a 16:9 monitor.)

    screwy single menus - Tap the Alt key and you can temporarily show/hide the old menus. For a long time, I didn't know this and the removal of the old menus bothered me to no end. Now, no problem! Still, it would have been nice Firefox had told me during the first week that I could do this.

    a whole host of unusable extensions - There's a nice extension called "Add-On Compatibility Reporter". It lets you lets you try to use your old add-ons in a newer version of Firefox, and report incompatibilities if they don't work. They usually still work!

  75. Re:Holy crap! by PCM2 · · Score: 1

    I'd just like to interject here that I run a Windows computer practically full time. It's connected to the Internet (via NAT). I don't have any special firewall software installed except for the Microsoft default one. I do run Microsoft Security Essentials. But the only time I've received a warning from MSE is when I've downloaded something that I'm almost certain was bound to be a Trojan in the first place (serial number generator). Otherwise, in all the years I've been running Windows I've been virus and malware free.

    People seem to have this idea that Windows computers are so vulnerable that they'll be riddled with viruses a few minutes after you connect them to the Internet. It's just not true. Most of the people who complain about that stuff are deflecting -- they don't want to admit that they deliberately did something stupid (or illegal) that got them infected.

    --
    Breakfast served all day!
  76. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by PCM2 · · Score: 1

    MSE updates itself automatically. You see MSE definition updates in Windows Update, but they're marked "Optional" and you don't actually have to download them... you'll get them anyway.

    --
    Breakfast served all day!
  77. Re:NOT A joke... by qubezz · · Score: 1

    Considering Google adds its updater as both a service and as scheduled tasks and will reinstall these to keeps the undocumented service always running, always connecting to the internet, I would say spyware.

  78. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you've ever produced software that has made it a good ways out into the world you realize that false-positives are a constant irritation by _all_ of the major antivirus players. It happens.

  79. Everyone seems to think this was error by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Subtlety is something that seems to be lost on folks here. This wasn't an error, or a deliberate attempt at sabotage, it was Microsoft sending a message. It doesn't matter that the issue was fixed in 2 hours. It only matters that the damage was done, and a few uninformed non-techy people have removed the program.

    The message is pretty clear:

    We're not happy with your encroachment on our turf. If you continue to push into us, you'll be in for a fight. You may be winning this battle, but we can make it very, very uncomfortable for your program to work. We own this space, and don't you fucking forget it.

  80. The Asshats Have Done This Before by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In the 90s it was with third party TCP/IP stacks. Treated commercial products like viruses and just removed them. Once an abuser of monopoly power, always an abuser of monopoly power.

  81. Re:Holy crap! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Protip: if you are angry and start responding to things the other guy never said, you're going to look and feel like an idiot.

    Okay, let's look back at what was said:

    If you like putting up with that go ahead. I prefer knowing I can i.e. edit a document without being distracted, advertised to, nagged, reminded of things that should be automated, etc.

    That's a pretty strong implication that you (or whichever AC originally posted) does not "put up" with Windows, as well as a veiled insult towards those who do. I merely pointed out that there are legitimate reasons for using Windows, and that the product in TFA improves on the experience of using said OS.

    I said "I prefer". It is a preference. That puts it firmly in the realm of opinion. How did you handle that? You felt insulted and felt a need to point out obvious things like the existence of a reason to use Windows or the fact an optional utility can improve Windows. I am sorry you are such an insecure man that you must react this way when you see someone else who has a preference different from yours.

    I guess if I tell you a flavor of ice cream I like you'll have to point out that not everybody likes it as much as I do.

  82. Re:Holy crap! by spiffmastercow · · Score: 1

    Protip: if you are angry and start responding to things the other guy never said, you're going to look and feel like an idiot.

    Okay, let's look back at what was said:

    If you like putting up with that go ahead. I prefer knowing I can i.e. edit a document without being distracted, advertised to, nagged, reminded of things that should be automated, etc.

    That's a pretty strong implication that you (or whichever AC originally posted) does not "put up" with Windows, as well as a veiled insult towards those who do. I merely pointed out that there are legitimate reasons for using Windows, and that the product in TFA improves on the experience of using said OS.

    I said "I prefer". It is a preference. That puts it firmly in the realm of opinion. How did you handle that? You felt insulted and felt a need to point out obvious things like the existence of a reason to use Windows or the fact an optional utility can improve Windows. I am sorry you are such an insecure man that you must react this way when you see someone else who has a preference different from yours. I guess if I tell you a flavor of ice cream I like you'll have to point out that not everybody likes it as much as I do.

    Man, people sure do suck a lot of dick when they eat $YOUR_FLAVOR. If you want to suck dick, go on eating $YOUR_FLAVOR, but I'm going to eat $OTHER_FLAVOR.

  83. Re:Flash update installed Chrome without asking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    THIS! Mod parent up.

    Fucking flash! It was always the blight of the internet and now it's just gotten worse. I installed it for youtube but now i"ll just use that extension that just downloads the youtube video as mp4 and watch that.

  84. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by owlstead · · Score: 1

    Yeah, in the old days it was always "format.com" that was triggering virus programs (if they were switched to "heuristic" mode only of course). But that was probably to give you an idea what you had to do to successfully program a 3,5" disk drive to work (almost no firmware there, hope you like programming timing in assembly). Not it is probably something like the special process handling that is the trigger.

    I almost went and reported a DOS virus myself once. Came out that it was a common but unbelievably weird program that compressed .exe applications. Virus/trojan detection is hard. IMHO it should certainly only be the last defence against virusses. Most users and businesses still think it is the only and best way, which is just dumb.

  85. Re:Flash update installed Chrome without asking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Read the fine print.

    EVERYTHING installs Chrome unless you tell it not to. Or ITunes. Or something else that you don't want.

    READ THE FINE PRINT.

  86. Re:Holy crap! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Protip: if you are angry and start responding to things the other guy never said, you're going to look and feel like an idiot.

    Okay, let's look back at what was said:

    If you like putting up with that go ahead. I prefer knowing I can i.e. edit a document without being distracted, advertised to, nagged, reminded of things that should be automated, etc.

    That's a pretty strong implication that you (or whichever AC originally posted) does not "put up" with Windows, as well as a veiled insult towards those who do. I merely pointed out that there are legitimate reasons for using Windows, and that the product in TFA improves on the experience of using said OS.

    I said "I prefer". It is a preference. That puts it firmly in the realm of opinion. How did you handle that? You felt insulted and felt a need to point out obvious things like the existence of a reason to use Windows or the fact an optional utility can improve Windows. I am sorry you are such an insecure man that you must react this way when you see someone else who has a preference different from yours. I guess if I tell you a flavor of ice cream I like you'll have to point out that not everybody likes it as much as I do.

    Man, people sure do suck a lot of dick when they eat $YOUR_FLAVOR. If you want to suck dick, go on eating $YOUR_FLAVOR, but I'm going to eat $OTHER_FLAVOR.

    wow you really are a looney tunes aren't you? now all the acs know you will eat the troll bait and beg for more, you OCD bastard. mmm troll bait ...

  87. Agreed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why are we discarding 20 years of users learning where the menus go and what they do, because some nerds thought Chrome looked sexy? Fie. Fie, I say.

  88. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by roc97007 · · Score: 1

    Who's to say what is legitimate? My mother has several "helper" apps installed on her PC right now that are known malware. I told her about it, showed her articles, but she *likes* her cute little animated cursor or talking pig or whatever it is. What do you do?

    Parenthetically, Microsoft isn't just doing this to Google -- other products are also or have been mangled by the tool. I don't see any compelling evidence that M$ acted maliciously. Except of course for the standard maliciousness of choosing to test against their own products, and, you know, not anyone else's.

    --
    Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
  89. Re:Holy crap! by grimmjeeper · · Score: 1

    That's not unlike people who sleep around and are surprised when they get herpegonasyphalide.

    However, even the most cautious net user is still vulnerable. There are just too many vectors of attack. I too am cautious when I surf. I never open the attachment of the picture of cute cats that my aunt refuses to stop sending me. I don't follow links people think are hilarious. I run not-windows and not-IE. I have an ad blocker and script blocker.

    The thing is, even with all that there are plenty of ways I can get infected. Legitimate websites can themselves get hacked and serve up malware. Places that were fine yesterday may attack my computer today. Virus scanners and firewalls don't always catch the attack. You can even get infected if you never connect to the internet, as we have seen malware find its way onto software distribution CDs. Don't delude yourself. You can only reduce your risk. It is impossible to guarantee that you are 100% virus free unless you never turn your computer on. Ever.

  90. On Linux too ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    ... the SELinux subsystem of my Fedora 14 installation recently flagged Chrome as well, because the executable apparently tried to modify itself. I solved the problem by deinstalling Chrome. Must've come with the latest Chrome update.

    1. Re:On Linux too ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Their Google Go language runtime also puts executable code on the stack, so they need an exception in SELinux to run... or just don't install any Google Go programs. Google hires some smart people, but clearly they aren't very wise. This kind of break-the-rules programming is probably what got Chrome caught as a virus.

    2. Re:On Linux too ... by dbIII · · Score: 1

      SELinux flags everything it doesn't understand which is really the entire point. Vendors of commercial software on linux typically don't take it seriously because they rarely take security seriously (eg. all kinds of stupid insecure shit using old stuff like rsh FFS or insecure rpc calls) so they have nothing to interact with SElinux and typically refuse to support their software until SElinux is turned off.

  91. Chrome! by richardxxv · · Score: 0

    FUNNY!!! Of course Mickey Mouse... ooops! Sorry... Of course microsoft programmed Windows8 to think that Chrome - and anything Linux - is a virus on the system because the bully still wants its market dominance, and it's threatened by Linux. We should all switch over to Linux and kill the Microsoft platform, since all your programs will work on it.

  92. Re:Holy crap! by Kalriath · · Score: 1

    Although you're generally correct, MSE is a Microsoft product so it uses the centralised update manager to update - silently - with Windows itself (if you so choose).

    Now, fucking Adobe...

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    For a site about things like basic rights, Slashdot users sure do like to censor "dissent".
  93. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by Kalriath · · Score: 1

    Must be using a McAfee Enterprise product. I'm not sure those even do anything, because they never actually report anything. Although they do frequently report in their log files that they allowed stuff to happen that would have been blocked by policy (without ever indicating why said policy did not apply).

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    For a site about things like basic rights, Slashdot users sure do like to censor "dissent".
  94. Re:Virus scanner flags something that is not a vir by Kalriath · · Score: 1

    I know of a six letter word which refers to those things, but the U isn't in the middle.

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    For a site about things like basic rights, Slashdot users sure do like to censor "dissent".