Microsoft Update Quietly Installs Firefox Extension

Washingon Post ^ | 29 May 2009 | Brian Krebs

[ShadowAce]

A routine security update for a Microsoft Windows component installed on tens of millions of computers has quietly installed an extra add-on for an untold number of users surfing the Web with Mozilla's Firefox Web browser.

Earlier this year, Microsoft shipped a bundle of updates known as a "service pack" for a programming platform called the Microsoft .NET Framework, which Microsoft and plenty of third-party developers use to run a variety of interactive programs on Windows.

< snip >

Having earlier checked to see whether the service pack had caused any widespread problems or interfered with third-party programs -- and not finding any that warranted waving readers away from this update -- I told readers not to worry and to go ahead and install it.

I'm here to report a small side effect from installing this service pack that I was not aware of until just a few days ago: Apparently, the .NET update automatically installs its own Firefox add-on that is difficult -- if not dangerous -- to remove, once installed.

Annoyances.org, which lists various aspects of Windows that are, well, annoying, says "this update adds to Firefox one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities present in all versions of Internet Explorer: the ability for Web sites to easily and quietly install software on your PC."

< snip >

The trouble is, Microsoft has disabled the "uninstall" button on the extension. What's more, Microsoft tells us that the only way to get rid of this thing is to modify the Windows registry, an exercise that -- if done imprecisely -- can cause Windows systems to fail to boot up.

[ShadowAce]

[paulycy]

Why am I both pi$$ed off and not surprised???

I’ve had trouble with Firefox freezing for a few seconds at a time while pages are loading and now I wonder if these two things are connected?

I have no evidence this unwelcome add-on is guilty but it sure adds yet another variable to determining what the heck’s going on.

[Daveinyork]

I turned off my automatic update after last year on April 14, when that a Windows update on one of our computers interrupted the functioning of our tax preparation software. (we are a CPA firm). Intuit fixed the problem on the computer, and subsequently let us know that the update was also reported to be interfering with Quickbooks. The timing of the problem, needless to say, caused us a bit of anxiety.

[JWinNC]

Son of a @#$%&!

It does have a disable button.

[ShadowAce]

It does have a disable button.

That's good to hear. I haven't installed this update yet on my work computer (I have no windows machines at home), so I haven't been able to verify this.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

My OS has been slowly falling apart ever since I had to install IE7. I’m getting 4 or 5 freeze ups a day.

[raybbr]

I’ve had trouble with Firefox freezing for a few seconds at a time while pages are loading and now I wonder if these two things are connected?

Me too. I wonder. I can't find this in my add-ons list.

[Abby4116]

My IE has not frozen since I installed IE8. IE7 did periodically freeze up on me in both xp and vista.

[raybbr]

Whoops! My bad. It’s in the Extensions folder and it HAS a disable button. I have disabled it and we shall see.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

The only reason I dumped IE6 was because photobucket made a change that kept my EXIF reader from working with it. I never really understood what they did, but somehow they altered the data in my images

I'm tired of change for the sake of change, stuff that doesn't improve anything.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Bump for home reading and repairs.

[paulycy]

Whoops! My bad. It’s in the Extensions folder and it HAS a disable button. I have disabled it and we shall see.

Well, I'm so on the ball I didn't even notice it when it was installed but, looking at the add-ons, there it is in all its microsoft glory. And it does have a disable button so that, at least, is a good thing. :0)

[Sloth]

bookmarking

[Quix]

Thanks.

MICROSLOP STRIKES AGAIN.

GLOBALIST TRAITORS.

[LifeComesFirst]

To every other software company in the universe, updates are to add features and fix bugs. To MS, updates are for adding bugs and calling them features.

[Big Giant Head]

Uh, I checked on my 64 bit Windows 7 installation of Firefox and there it was, complete with a disable button and a delete button. I deleted it, restarted FF and it’s gone.

What’s the problem? XP? 32 bit versions? I don’t get it.

[Ghengis]

bump

[shorty_harris]

I wonder if you can uninstall Firefox, then reinstall it, without the extension.

[SirFishalot]

I switched to Safari a few months ago and I find it’s much faster.

[paulycy]

I switched to Safari

Me, too, and it is much faster but I have some firefox extensions that I need, and after running awhile Safari seems to hog resources (worse than firefox) and conflict with my graphics program so I'm back to the stable firefox 3 release. I've tried the beta too and will switch when my add-ons are updated.

Haven't tried chrome. Seems like it won't do what firefox does either even if it is fast. Building browsers without add-on capability (just about any program, actually) seem very dumb and limiting IMO.

[LonePalm]

Self Ping for later.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[VeniVidiVici]

Darn! I don’t even have it!

Can I still wail and gnash my teeth in false indignation?

[litehaus]

net frame 3.5 svc pk1 ???-—That one?

[aimhigh]

Bump for later. How do we turn it off? (plain English please)

[antiRepublicrat]

Firefox extensions can be manually removed. Googling “firefox manually remove add-on” or “extension” will get you tons of how-tos.

[Still Thinking]

Sometimes those people really piss me off.

[ShadowAce]

Firefox extensions can be manually removed.

Yes they can, bu this article explains that with this particular extension, it requires registry editing.

Not a good thing.

[LadyPilgrim]

I turned of automatic update after it crashed this Vista, last Jan.
I also have had a problem with, Firefox....could be connected, I suppose.

[sionnsar]

I’ve had trouble with Firefox freezing for a few seconds at a time while pages are loading and now I wonder if these two things are connected?

Same problem, but on both Linux and Windows machines so I suspect not.

[calex59]

I turned off my automatic update after last year on April 14, when that a Windows update on one of our computers interrupted the functioning of our tax preparation software. (we are a CPA firm). Intuit fixed the problem on the computer, and subsequently let us know that the update was also reported to be interfering with Quickbooks. The timing of the

Smart. As an ex IT person(retired)I have never enabled automatic updates. I always make it ask me what I want to install. I recently had problems with SP3 for XP. It works ok on my roll your own computer but causes no end of problems on my Dell. I understand from some other Dell owners that it has caused problems with their machines also. Bottom line: Don't trust updates!

[calex59]

Me, too, and it is much faster but I have some firefox extensions that I need, and after running awhile Safari seems to hog resources (worse than firefox) and conflict with my graphics program so I'm back to the stable firefox 3 release. I've tried the beta too and will switch when my add-ons are updated.

Not only that, but if you are using windows(which I assume you are) and you use Netflix instant viewing capability, Netflix doesn't recognize Safari except on Apple machines. Won't allow you to watch movies on Safari if you are using windows, so I went back(actually never really left)to Firefox, which I have never had any problems with.

[FRForever]

> My OS has been slowly falling apart ever since I had to install IE7.

My OS has been slowly falling apart ever since I had to install Windows.

There, fixed it for you. :)

[BigSkyFreeper]

Click “Tools” and then “Add-ons”. It’s there listed as “Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant” and it’s version 1.0. There is a disable button. Click it, and restart the browser. Now it’s disabled.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Google Chrome hogs resources too. I used it for about a month and I never noticed it was any faster than any of the other browsers I’ve used.

[raybbr]

Click “Tools” and then “Add-ons”. It’s there listed as “Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant” and it’s version 1.0. There is a disable button. Click it, and restart the browser. Now it’s disabled.<

Thanks. I found it. It's in the "Extension" tab and have disabled it.

I just checked on this PC and noticed there are no Windows extensions. Then I realized it's Linux Mint. D'oh!