Latest Adobe Acrobat Reader Update Silently Installs Chrome Extension (bleepingcomputer.com)

An anonymous reader writes: The latest Adobe Acrobat Reader security update (15.023.20053), besides delivering security updates, also secretly installs the Adobe Acrobat extension in the user's Chrome browser. There is no mention of this "special package" on Acrobat's changelog, and surprise-surprise, the extension comes with anonymous data collection turned on by default. Bleeping Computer reports: "This extension allows users to save any web page they're on as a PDF file and share it or download it to disk. The extension is also Windows-only, meaning Mac and Linux Chrome users will not receive it. The extension requests the following permissions: Read and change all your data on the websites you visit; Manage your downloads; Communicate with cooperating native applications. According to Adobe, extension users 'share information with Adobe about how [they] use the application. The information is anonymous and will help us improve product quality and features,' Adobe also says. 'Since no personally identifiable information is collected, the anonymous data will not be meaningful to anyone outside of Adobe.'"

Comments

Chrome is smarter than that.

[Anonymous Coward]

When you open chrome It will note the new extension and ask if you want to enable it or remove it.

Funny

[no-body]

Yesterday or two days ago, Chrome prompted me if want to install something from Adobe, most likely extensions and I clicked no since I did not like those popups. Now looking at chrome://extensions/ - nothing like that there to see.
What gives?

Re:Funny

[fisternipply]

That was it. My chrome did the same thing not more than two hours ago...which means Acrobat updated itself silently. Which pisses me off. Now, what pisses me off even worse is that it's hard to turn off auto-update in Acrobat Reader DC and requires either editing the registry or downloading and installing another adobe preference manager program (link to help article: https://forums.adobe.com/threa...). And even worse, the data collection was checked by default. A-holes.

The good news ...

[Langalf]

The good news is when I fired up Chrome, it asked me if I wanted to remove this unwanted extension.

Re: The good news ...

[Anonymous Coward]

It's installed, silently, by an auto updater. You have to grant it permission before it can run, but it's definitely installed.

Re:Foxit instead

[Billly Gates]

Foxit comes with malware which installs toolbars. It's worse than Adobe

Re:If you have Chrome why having Acrobat Reader?

[Anonymous Coward]

Some people require digital signatures on PDFs which requires adobe.
Funny they don't really care WHAT you sign it with but do require it be signed...

Re:Foxit instead

[MeanE]

Sumatra is fast, light and crap free.

https://www.sumatrapdfreader.o...

Re:Foxit instead

[ckatko]

At least throw a damn citation out.

Only thing I can see is version 6.1.4 (2014) of FoxIt had malware. But it was removed afterward because of user outcry.

HOWEVER, equally or more dangerous I've noticed:

>In July 2014, the Internet Storm Center reported that the mobile version for iPhone was transmitting unencrypted telemetry and other data to remote servers located in China despite users attempting to opt out of such data collection.[13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

You can turn of the "feature" that sends data

[Streetlight]

In the Chrome browser, just got to your extensions, find the Adobe extension, click on options and uncheck the box about sending info to Adobe. You can also disable the extension or click on the trash can to remove it. Hopefully one of these options will be useful to everyone unless Adobe is really sneaky and even if one takes the drastic measure of removing the extension there's enough left on your system to do the reporting work.