AOL Active Virus Shield EULA criticized

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hxxp://www.pcwelt.de/news/sicherheit/54910/index.html


Translated excerpts:


Active virus Shield: AOL free safetytool under criticism

AOL had released a free safety software to all users recently with Active virus Shield at the disposal. After a more exact view into the license regulations AOL turns out now under bombardment by safety experts. In addition the software comes also with a Toolbar, which is based on a product, which possesses a doubtful reputation.

AOL sees itself confronted with negative headlines again. After that data debacle, with which search inquiries of thousands of members were published in the InterNet ( we reported ), safety experts now criticize the free anti-virus software "Active virus Shield" published by AOL ( we reported ).

In the license regulations itself a paragraph is hiding, which permits AOL to collect and pass data of the users via the software, e.g. how they use the software. In addition the license regulations make it possible to AOL and their partner to dispatch to the users Mails.

Our US intelligence service IDG Eric Howes, director of the anti-mark commodity research, explained news with the safety specialists of Sunbelt software the fact that a user is not informed during the installation at all about the fact that AOL collects data and would like to send advertisements away. Howes stressed that Active virus Shield is not noticeable negatively at present. However, the EULA would permit AOL to send Spam away in the future and to infect the user with adware.

"it should do to something like that, what stands in the EULA, then we would define it as Spyware" said Christina Olsen, project Manager of the organization Stopbadware.org . According to data of Olsen the EULA forbids users even the use of an advertising blocker. "that is ridiculous", Olsen said.

AOL insured to IDG news that they wanted to change the EULA now based on recent doubts. in the future they only want to grant themselves the right to send users marketing Mails.


Active virus Shield uses the engine of the safety specialists for the recognition and removal of parasites from Kaspersky. The optional safety toolbar of the software however, is based on an earlier product, which carries the name Softomate Toolbar and is recognized as adware/spyware by Kaspersky.


The safety specialist Aviv Raff already discovered a gap in AOLs safety Toolbar,...
Raff draws comparisons to Sonys root kit. "a large enterprise takes the software of an external enterprise, redesigns it and must then state that it was bad", said Raff....

 

Wasn't this already posted (and apperantly also deleted)?

 

No, it was moved to the Other Security Issues & News Forum.

 

Yep

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=143742