Acrobat Reader DC automatically installs own plugin into Vivaldi after update
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It's just a little warning about suspicious Acrobat behaviour
I just hate when things run out of my control... -
@ROTFL - Pretty sure Vivaldi detects and lists any compatible browser plugins on the system. If you don't want Vivaldi to use a plugin, you can disable it.
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I read an article about this but it was directed at Chrome users. I guess it makes sense that it would happen with Vivaldi as well.
I find it a little funny that Chrome users were complaining about a plugin automatically installing with other software, when Chrome is usually packaged with installers for other software.
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@ROTFL I've seen this before already, various programs are capable of "injecting" their plugins or extensions into browsers (at least the Chromium-based ones).
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@Ayespy I dont like that it is so easy to install plugin without extra dialog in Vivaldi like "are you sure you want to add this into your beloved browser?". It was pure coincidence that I have spotted this...
And I didn't notice anywhere in Acrobat update dialog that any extra stuff have been installed
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@ROTFL - It's not "installed." it's just there. You get to tell the browser whether to use it or not. Plugins are not actually, literally "plugged in" to the browser. They sit in a folder and the browser "plugs in" to them to display relevant content when that content is something a browser would not normally be coded to handle.
Extensions actually affect the operation of the browser. Plugins merely lie there waiting to be called upon to show you something that they know how to decode.
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@ROTFL said in Acrobat Reader DC automatically installs own plugin into Vivaldi after update:
@Ayespy I dont like that it is so easy to install plugin without extra dialog in Vivaldi like "are you sure you want to add this into your beloved browser?".
+1
I think Vivaldi should have some protection against this -
@ROTFL said:
@Ayespy I dont like that it is so easy to install plugin without extra dialog in Vivaldi like "are you sure you want to add this into your beloved browser?". It was pure coincidence that I have spotted this...
And I didn't notice anywhere in Acrobat update dialog that any extra stuff have been installed
I know that Chrome always points out to the user when a plugin or extension has been installed automatically. This is really the minimum that a browser should do. It was also the case with this new plugin, and according to the news, there was no mention anywhere, by Adobe, that they were pushing out a new plugin with their software update (not install).
@Ayespy said:
@ROTFL - It's not "installed." it's just there. You get to tell the browser whether to use it or not. Plugins are not actually, literally "plugged in" to the browser. They sit in a folder and the browser "plugs in" to them to display relevant content when that content is something a browser would not normally be coded to handle.
Extensions actually affect the operation of the browser. Plugins merely lie there waiting to be called upon to show you something that they know how to decode.
That's not strictly true. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the plugins are fully loaded into memory even before any content triggers them, which means the data harvesting, also called spying by some, is enabled if the plugin is enabled. The Adobe plugin collects "anonymous" data, as mentioned in the article.
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@kumiponi - Plugins are fully loaded into memory. They are not in your browser. They may not even be in the same directory. A "plugin" which harvests data from browsers when not even invoked would be properly referred to as a trojan - something for security software to deal with.
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Maybe I made a little mess with naming "extension" / "plugin"... (sorry)
@kumiponi said:
I know that Chrome always points out to the user when a plugin or extension has been installed automatically. This is really the minimum that a browser should do. It was also the case with this new plugin, and according to the news, there was no mention anywhere, by Adobe, that they were pushing out a new plugin with their software update (not install).
Yup. I'd like Vivaldi to
a) set state of all extensions that have been installed "externally" to disabled
b) display notification that something has been addedI don't condemn all of the "magic" beyond installers.
I'd just like to be aware that something "magically happened" behind my back -
@Ayespy said:
would be properly referred to as a trojan - something for security software to deal with.
There's a very fine line, isn't there.
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From what I read it is an extension and chrome warns about the new extension on next start.
Don't know how Vivaldi handles this.
According to InfoWorld it's "... spyware, pure and simple".Fortunately I don't use any Adobe or Microsoft products/services.
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There's the source of the whole misunderstanding, right there. It's not a PLUGIN. It's an EXTENSION. It repeatedly kills me that people do not understand the meaning of these two different terms for very different things.
Anything which installs an extension into your browser, unbidden, is malware and to be avoided at all costs.
And, yes, if Vivaldi gets an extension installed and fails to notify the user, that's bad. @ROTFL : I wonder if, as the person who discovered this, you would be kind enough to file a bug report.
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@CantankRus - I do use PPAPI Flash. Don't use any other Adobe products that I'm aware of. I tend to avoid them like the plague. I received the shipment of an additional computer yesterday, (makes 8 desktop towers in the house - what's wrong with me?) and it had AR DC pre-installed. One of the first things I did was uninstall it and install a PDF reader I prefer, so I never got to learn of the charms of the new DC version.
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@Ayespy said in Acrobat Reader DC automatically installs own plugin into Vivaldi after update:
@CantankRus - I do use PPAPI Flash. Don't use any other Adobe products that I'm aware of. I tend to avoid them like the plague. I received the shipment of an additional computer yesterday, (makes 8 desktop towers in the house - what's wrong with me?) and it had AR DC pre-installed. One of the first things I did was uninstall it and install a PDF reader I prefer, so I never got to learn of the charms of the new DC version.
"8 desktop towers"
Wow... you starting a bitcoin farm?
Flash plugin is installed, but disabled and honestly haven't found the need to enable it lately. -
@Ayespy Reported
It's PC in my workplace so sadly I must have some stupid software installed despite I don't like it... (like M$ Office !@#$%^&*....)
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@Ayespy said in Acrobat Reader DC automatically installs own plugin into Vivaldi after update:
Adobe products (...) I tend to avoid them like the plague.
They offer some great software, like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere, After Effects, Audition - to name a few. It's the free software from Adobe (especially Acrobat Reader and Flash Player) - that's the real cancer...
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It's Worse Than U Thought - Adobe Acrobat Reader caught installing spyware on browsers!
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