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

Posted by BeauHD on from the did-you-hear-something dept.

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.'"

19 of 145 comments (clear)

  1. sure I believe you by supernova87a · · Score: 4, Funny

    Certainly trustworthy! "Since no one but people at Adobe designed this, certainly no one in the wide world of hackers, exploit finders, and data sifters would ever be able to decipher and extract anything interesting from this data. I mean, we're just sending this meaningless data back to Adobe for shits and giggles, it's useless information! By the way, I heard that anonymous means that we just don't record your IP address right?"

  2. Chrome is smarter than that. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

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

    1. Re:Chrome is smarter than that. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Chrome may be smart, but the users may not be. A whole lot of people will just click "Yes" or "Enable" or whatever the dialog says.

    2. Re:Chrome is smarter than that. by narcc · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Indeed. Given that Chrome itself is often installed surreptitiously along with popular applications like CCleaner and Avast, it's no wonder that Adobe thought that Chrome users wouldn't mind, or notice, yet another clandestine install.

      Now that I'm thinking about it, Chrome has come bundled with Adobe products as well! That's right, Adobe secretly installs the browser, and tries to set it as default. They've already gone that far, so what's the big deal about sliding along an extension?

      --
      Required reading for internet skeptics
  3. Funny by no-body · · Score: 4, Informative

    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?

    1. Re:Funny by simcop2387 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      That'd be chrome protecting you from this shit. they've gotten pretty good at detecting and preventing these kinds of drive by installs.

    2. Re:Funny by fisternipply · · Score: 5, Informative

      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.

    3. Re:Funny by Obfuscant · · Score: 3, Insightful

      they've gotten pretty good at detecting and preventing these kinds of drive by installs.

      After gaining a large amount of market share by BEING a drive-by install (as part of java, IIRC), they ought to be good at detecting them.

  4. The good news ... by Langalf · · Score: 5, Informative

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

  5. Best News = No News by BoRegardless · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I don't use Adobe anymore, PERIOD.

    1. Re:Best News = No News by fisternipply · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Not an option for everyone.

    2. Re: Best News = No News by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      do you also encrypt your grocery lists?

  6. Preferential treatment by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The extension is also Windows-only, meaning Mac and Linux Chrome users will not receive it.

    Why are Mac and Linux users treated better than Windows users? That's not fair!

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  7. USE THIS by JBMcB · · Score: 4, Interesting

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

    Small. Fast. Loads DjVu and some E-Reader formats as well. No spyware.

    --
    My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
  8. Re:Foxit instead by Billly+Gates · · Score: 4, Informative

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

    --
    http://saveie6.com/
  9. Re:Foxit instead by MeanE · · Score: 5, Informative

    Sumatra is fast, light and crap free.

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

  10. Re:Foxit instead by Luthair · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Chrome also offers pretty good native PDF support, so why even bother having more software installed.

  11. Re:Foxit instead by ckatko · · Score: 4, Informative

    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/...

  12. Re:what an evil scheme. by Dusthead+Jr. · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I never really understood this line of thinking, that if one is living an uninteresting, unimportant life they shouldn't care if they're being spayed upon? Privacy is only for people of interest. Everyone else is fair game? I thought it was the famous people who were exempt from having private lives. Personally I think that even if all you do is go home to an empty house and stare at the walls all day you should still do it without, frankly high-tech peeping toms. Buy you should be free to choose whatever you want.