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Google: Unwanted Software Is Worse Than Malware (thestack.com)
An anonymous reader writes from a report via The Stack: A year-long study between Google and New York University has determined that unwanted software unwittingly downloaded as part of a bundle is a larger problem for users than malware. Google Safe Browsing currently generates three times as many Unwanted Software (UwS) warnings than malware warnings -- over 60 million per week. Types of unwanted software fall into five categories: ad injectors, browser settings hijackers, system utilities, anti-virus, and major brands. While estimates of UwS installs are still emerging, studies suggest that ad injection affects 5% of browsers, and that deceptive extensions in the Chrome Web store affect over 50 million users. 59% of the bundles studied were flagged by at least one anti-virus engine as potentially unwanted.
If Google truly believed this, they would use the licensing of Google Mobile Services to force manufacturers of Android devices and carriers to stop loading up the devices with unwanted software. As long as Google keeps tolerating the bloatware, they are hypocrites. This "do as I say, not as I do" attitude of Google is quite common and is a massive departure from not being evil.
Yeah like come bundled on every Android device and oh BTW which rely on Google location tracking, snooping and other APIs.
Facebook et al. shouldn't take rooting to get rid of them, stop the bloat abuse.
Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
stop letting carriers force there builds on you and let people load the base roms with out that BS.
That depends on what the meaning if "is" is. Any software I don't want that wastes my time by displaying ads or using machine cycles is malware.
"Google and New York University has determined that unwanted software unwittingly downloaded as part of a bundle is a larger problem for users than malware"
I figured that out when I had the Windows 10 update go in with Cortana and all the other "Apps" that I didn't want.
Perhaps then google you will take note of your own study and stop bundling shit in with lots of other product installs that nobody wants. hint if I wanted your fucking browser I would have gone and installed it.
There's no clear-cut distinction between malware and problematic software that tricks you into using or installing it through various shades of misleading techniques, or carries with it unpleasant side-effects even if it has a useful side. I thus lump them all together under "pestware" to avoid a vocabulary or categorization debate.
Table-ized A.I.
"Types of unwanted software fall into five categories: ad injectors, browser settings hijackers, system utilities, anti-virus, and major brands."
How are the first two items not classified as malware? Perhaps the real problem is you're too close to the source, Google.
#DeleteChrome
Android lets the phone company add unremovable adds.
My android phone has about 25 applications I can't remove, unless I wanted to root it.
IPhones do not come with AT&T or Verizon or Sprint garbage ware.
And by saying "Oh I like Android and hate Apple so I'll say iPhone has lots crapware too" is deflecting from the true concerns about all the forced crapware on Android phones.
Google says "your check is in the mail".
Do you define worse as being simply larger in scale, and affecting more people in undesired ways? Or do you define worse as being a larger headache for those who must deal with it?
If the former, I'd agree. Unwanted software certainly affects more people, but if the latter, I'd have to dissent, and suggest that accidentally having malware get into your system is going to pose a much bigger problem for the end user than unwanted software is ever likely to represent.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
It took a study to figure out the magnitude of the problem.
The number being 20% or 80% could mean the difference between spending a thousand or a million dollars on the problem.
Wonder what the public key field is for?
If we can't have Java, we kill it.
How would I know which countries have Samsung phones preloaded with their MS crapware??
You can add Sweden to the list, unfortunately.
What pisses me off is that, following a recent update, Skype on Android now insists on running continuously, and restarts itself after I've shut it down in the process manager. There's no longer any Exit option in the program, either. WTF?
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
> Why should *I* be required to fix an obvious piece of spyware from them?
Play Microsoft games, win Microsoft prizes.
Of course, you shouldn't be required to do that. But you *should* be aware enough of the state of the industry, as a slashdot poster, to be familiar enough with the various downsides of each phone alternatives. Maybe you give up privacy, maybe you give up security, maybe you spend a lot, maybe you give up functionality. There's a rainbow of bullshit here, and you have to pick your least hated fucking color.
By unwanted software do you mean Google Chrome and Google Toolbar? That stuff is really bundled in many things. Please stop bundling it.
Such as Google Chrome installing as default browser, Google Toolbar installing to IE?
Apps Guy, is that you?
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
Dude, check the date--the rest of us knew about this 3 fucking years ago. Can you stop posting it to every story already?
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
You almost introduced unwanted, bundled software to the developers. Chrome doesn't count because you are supposed to be cool& nice guys? I don't think so.
Steam forced you to install those games, they ran by default and you could neither uninstall them nor keep them from restarting when you kicked them out of RAM?
That's harsh.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Any unwanted software is malware. The least damage it does is to take up space in your storage that could instead be used for something useful.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
I'm a big confused here though, is Windows 10 "unwanted software" or "malware"? The study doesn't really make it clear.
(Don't call me) Shirley the ": " in the title should be 's
I hate Conduit.
Unwanted software bundled to installers ... ... like browsers?
I'm a big confused here though, is Windows 10 "unwanted software" or "malware"?
Yes, it is.
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
Because about a month ago, Chrome installed a new version of itself without asking, without permission, and the first hint I had (since I don't use the nasty thing unless I have to) was a new icon on my desktop. (Didn't even put it in a sane location. It's somewhere down in User Application Data.)
Apparently if you have Google Talk installed, this is what Google does behind your back.
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
Weird title and summary. Unwanted software that installs itself by riding along unnoticed with real wanted software thus tricking you into allowing it to install, then making your system do bad things you don't want it to do...? That's IS malware.
- For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat