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Microsoft's Security Products Will Block Adware By Default Starting On July 1
An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft [Thursday] announced a change to how it handles adware, a form of malware that pushes unwanted advertisements to the user. As of July 1, the company's security products will immediately stop any adware they detect and notify the user, who can then restore the program if they wish. Currently, when any of Microsoft's security products (including Microsoft Security Essentials and Microsoft Forefront) detects a program as adware, it will alert the user and offer them a recommended action. If the user doesn't do anything, the security product will let the program continue to run until the user makes a decision." If adware is malware, why wait until July?
when it deceives the user into buying shady and often worthless products.
Presumably because of a deal struck with one of those weasel-word named "industry associations" like the "Really Helpful Consumer Notification Group" that represent shitty companies that do shitty things and who probably went to Microsoft and said "we need X amount of time to make sure our products meet your new standards so they don't get blocked" for which you can read "we need some time to find a way around your blocking so we can continue being shitty".
MS is walking a fine line as it tries to transition from a company that sees users as the target to be exploited and a company that sees users as the customers. Remember all the crapware like Norton installed on every new PC. MS was cool with this because it enabled the OEMs to them more $$. If they were user focused they would have never allowed it.
Now they're trying to move to an apple model where the user is first. blocking adware is part of this. but turning a big ship takes time, and there are a lot of long-time corporate relationships that need to change, so they are phasing in this new policy to block adware by default.
Now that MS has gotten the "customer is king" memo, there are only two companies that see users as a resource to be exploited for gain, and customers as partners to assist in this exploitation: goog and fb.
One person's adware / malware is another's vital revenue stream.
It's about time they start doing something about adware. At least put that "Low Threat" section in MSE to good use.
On the other hand, if they detect adware the same way the other AV's do, I wont be out of a day job. The only thing I've found that removes adware is ADWCleaner and the Junkware Removal Tool. The rest either don't detect it all, Detect only the most virulent or damaging forms of it, or detect it and won't remove it.
In Soviet Russia, Trojan exploits YOU!
Works for me.
Is that not the deal? You get the program for sort-of-free, the price being that you get adverts displayed.
Spoken like somebody who hasn't had to remove "Babel toolbar" from anybody's machine and try to get the machine working normally again...
No sig today...
Does that include the standard windows firewall?
If adware is malware, why wait until July?
Because if they just popped it on the unsuspecting world with neither prior notification nor opportunity for users and IT professionals to react and inform, pundits would be caught unaware and unprepared and spend the next weeks complaining. Loudly. Vociferously. Obnoxiously. And users would be more pissed off than they will be in any case.
They're well behind the times. They're apparently aiming at things like this ransomware (http://privacy-pc.com/how-to/fbi-moneypak-virus-computer-locked-by-fbi.html) There are unfortunately a lot of ad tools out there right now that still try to lock your application to their web site. And I recently had to have a long talk with someone at work who browsed a porn site and had a dozen or so pop-ups _under_ his active screen, all showing webcam pornography. When he tried to close the web browser, the pop-unders were displayed, and it forced me to talk to him about keeping his workspace visitor safe.
Why disable software once it's installed? Shouldn't you at least attempt to stop the program getting installed first? Rather than open the front door and let the crap in, keep the door locked and screen your visitors.
Why UNIX?
Maybe cause they want to make sure that XP users get punished for not coughing up the cash for a worse OS?
I'm trying Win 7 right now, it's slower on searching, locks up the PC if it hits a damaged file on a PC while searching, and doesn't even have a responsive mouse until it's been moving for ten or fifteen seconds - it's like the driver for the mouse goes into sleep mode after inactivity.
I bought my Dad a PC as a christmas present - He's not very polite on how he describes windows 8.
I want XP back.
_ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
Their ads try to install things on your system without your knowledge.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
why they don't start removing unwanted advertisements from Skype instead?
If adware is malware, why wait until July?
Because they need to give time to their OEM and other partners as well as their own departments to transition to something that'll bypass this change.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
i am total agree with you in this matter. Mobile Phone Solutions
Will it prevent the Bing bar from being installed ?
I've got better things to do tonight than die.
The adware they are talking about is the crap that gets installed without consent and then proceeds to replace ads on web pages with other ads.
...until their adware server goes down. Then they call me and say "Internet isn't working!!!"
Kill them all. With fire.
No sig today...
How f'ing pitiful can this pack of underducated clucks get http://tech.slashdot.org/comme... for Pete's sake?
* LMAO - how STUPID could they be??
Doing that, they're only ADMITTING I totally dismanted & destroyed them easily, with facts they cannot overcome...
(Really DOES make me laugh...)
APK
P.S.=> Of course, they're not intelligent enough OR educated enough to realize that mistake of theirs, in *trying* vainly to "take me on", especially on hosts... apk
Babel Toolbar isn't the "free program". Babel Toolbar is what gets installed as the price of the free program.
...that the advertisements that they serve are "wanted".
My own definition of malware is "Any piece of software on your computer which is under the control of someone other than the computer owner." Under this definition adware would be considered malware.
Antivirus vendors of course refer to several classes of malware, including rootkits, trojans, viruses, worms (all of which classifications derive from the method the malware uses for propagation and activation). The actions of malware are various as well - botnets, rootkits, keyloggers, phishing redirectors, crypto-extortion, fake AV are a few. Adware including browser hijackers, unwanted toolbars and other unwanted BHOs seem to be the category at which the new Microsoft targeting is aimed. These sorts of programs are called PUPs (potentially unwanted programs) by the AV vendors, though under my definition they would be classed as malware.
Microsoft have made a further distinction in adware as "any program which brings up ads in ANOTHER PROGRAM." These are what would be blocked. and this is not unhelpful, however one should remember that Microsoft's malware protection has been decertified by most antivirus ratings consortia, so how good the MS product will be is anyone's guess.
...Yeah, no, I'm not Tom. If I was, I probably wouldn't be asking you to tell everyone why I'm wrong, would I?
So. Plain answers. No random links. Go.
Aaand, that wasn't meant to be none-AC, but whatever, I suppose it clears up the issue!
Well, just for fun; answers, no links.