Adobe Acrobat Reader DC Update Installs Chrome Browser Extension (Privacy Alert!)

Bleeping Computer ^ | Jan 11, 2017 | Catalin Cimpanu

[dayglored]

Adobe released yesterday Acrobat Reader DC 15.023.20053 that included fixes for 29 security issues. Along with the security fixes, this update package also silently installs the Adobe Acrobat extension into the user's Chrome web browser.

The installation process is covert, but the next time users open their Chrome browser, they'll be notified by Chrome's security systems that a new extension has been added.

The extensions name is Adobe Acrobat and is the same extension available through the Chrome Web Store.

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

The Adobe Acrobat extension also comes with anonymous usage data collection turned on by default, which might scare some users.

[dayglored]

Silently installing browser extensions that can "read and change all your data on the websites you visit"?? That's not nice.

[dayglored]

Adobe Does It Again! Privacy Alert! ... PING!

You can find all the Windows Ping list threads with FR search: just search on keyword "windowspinglist".

[Reno89519]

Did you install from Adobe.com or some 3rd party site? That is first question and a constant one with pop-ups in Firefox and other applications, which is why I opted to move to the new Microsoft Edge.

[CaptainK]

That just showed up on my computer 5 minutes ago!

[Steely Tom]

You have to be very careful allowing Adobe to install anything on your computer, specifically Flash or Acrobat.

Adobe's installation software normally gives you a choice to decline Chrome, or to install an Adobe "tool bar" or "search bar," but you have to make that choice in the very first window they show, the first window you see when you decide to go along with their "suggestion" that you do an upgrade.

If you miss that question — and you have to read very carefully to find it — you will automatically get Chrome and their "search bar," which intercepts everything you search for and sends it to Adobe and who knows where else.

[IBIAFR]

Chrome allows malicious scripts blocked by IE, Edhe and Firefox. Anyone running chrome should hit ctrl/alt/del and ask themselves why are there so many services related to chrome listed. Furthermore why does the Google toolbar need in some cases 1000’s of registry entries? Answer: It’s one big datamine.

[stratplayer]

I had that a couple hours ago. I had 3 options. Enable extension, remove extension and something else. I chose remove extension since I never asked for it in the first place. I think I did the right thing.....I become very irritated when extensions self install!!

[ml/nj]

I am so F*(&$@# tired of Adobe Acrobat updates. I wish someone would make them irrelevant. And barring that a LAW should be passed that requires companies to COMPENSATE (i.e. PAY) USERS for updates that users install in less than three months from a previous update.

ML/NJ

[kiryandil]

Who uses Adobe Acrobat?

Long Live Foxit Reader!

[Leaning Right]

Thanks for the heads-up.

[Loud Mime]

Who uses Adobe Acrobat?

Someone who uses InDesign, Illustrator, etc.. I’ll look at Foxit Reader.

[kiryandil]

Adobe Acrobat Reader versus Foxit Reader:

Adobe is a pushy, updating, RAM sucking pest that's always hanging around in the background, waiting to jack your computer's response times up.

Foxit is half to a third of the RAM usage. Not a pest. I can actually leave it open with several tabs running, becuase it doesn't RAM-suck.

[867V309]

If you miss that question — and you have to read very carefully to find it — you will automatically get Chrome and their "search bar," which intercepts everything you search for and sends it to Adobe and who knows where else.

It's worse than that!

Sometimes chrome will hijack your browser settings.
So, if you click on a link in, say, an Outlook email, it opens the link in chrome. BUT if you have deleted chrome because you didn't want it in the first place, the link won't work at all, and requires a registry hack to fix.

[FrogMom]

I got rid of Adobe and use Foxit for PDFs, don’t have any problems.

[Hardastarboard]

I got a message here a month or so ago on my Win 7 machine that my version of Adobe Acrobat was out of date and I needed to install the latest version. I did so, making sure to note that I was installing it from the Adobe website. After I was done, I noticed a program called TrueKey installed on my machine. I wasn't given a choice or notice that it was going to be installed. It is apparently a program that they publish that allows you to unlock your PC with your face (they're apparently assuming you have a camera on your machine).

I wasn't able to uninstall it using Control Panel, as it didn't show up there. I found an uninstall executable in my Programs folder and "uninstalled" it there, only to find out that it STILL wasn't uninstalled. I tried to delete the executables from Windows Explorer and was told I need Administrator privilege. My standard account IS the Administrator. I finally was able to delete enough of the executables to make it stop working, but I was ready to strangle a bunch of those sons a b!tches by the time I was done.

FU, Adobe.

[trebb]

I use Sumatra pdf - free/fast/not Adobe....

[upchuck]

Foxit. Amen!

https://www.foxitsoftware.com/products/pdf-reader/

[kiryandil]

I’ll have to try that on one of my machines. Thanks for the hot tip.

[trebb]

Adobe has lots of "features" that something like Sumatra doesn't, but Sumatra has a minuscule footprint and opens pdf. files quickly and cleanly - been using it for a few years and had another free one that was similar for years before that. Never had reason for anything else.

Of course, I also use VLC for most movie files and have an older version of Winamp for music files (5.581) and used to have Winamp 2.81 for years before that - simple can be better in my book.

[kiryandil]

I use VLC instead of Windows Media Bloat Player myself.

I'll have to look at Winamp again.