Daemon Tools Lite riddled with spyware

[leimrod]

ATTENTION: I modified this very first post as people tend to only read the first few lines.. To sum it up:

The original-poster (leimrod) blamed us for riddle his system and told us he want to inform local bloggers.

Although he later found out that all his assumptions are wrong and we are in NO way to blame, his thread
here and (like people informed me) also at board.ie now caused alot of trouble for us. I dont believe it is
some kind of direct "social" attack on us going on here, but unfortunately, it served the same purpose now.

So PLEASE - read everything to the END OF THIS THREAD until you make assumptions and write me or
our support ANY email about this topic. The case is closed and the insults/accusations against us are completely wrong. PERIOD. DAEMON Tools is completely free of any possible threats!

Personally, I cant say how pissed I'm atm, seriously..

Locutus, 29.09.2008, 07:04

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I don't know what kind of game you are running here but the spyware that comes bundled with Daemon Tools Lite is not optional.

You are misleading people by providing software that is purposely bundled with spyware toolbars.

The version I downloaded is this one: Disc-Tools.com - Published Software Download (i.e. v 4.30.1)

I installed it first on my HTPC, then after a restart I started getting fake AntiVirus popups that where installing files to my C:\Windows and system32 folder, numerous registry values where entered also. When I would open up MSN messenger automated messages started being posted to people I was talking to linking them to a site which downloaded more virii and spyware onto their PC.

To test this, I have a new recently built PC so I installed a vanilla version of Vista, and then installed Daemon Tools Lite ONLY, low and behold, after a few restarts I had the same toolbars and virus programs (i.e. peltodgx, Micro Antivirus 2009... etc) popping up. Opening up IE 7 would cause the files to start being downloaded automatically.

I formatted the drive, installed Vista again and am now a previous version of your software, 4.09HE, which I have previously had no issues with.

If people don't believe me, install the current release of Daemon Tools Lite, do a few restarts then try opening IE7 and see what happens.

[Blazkowicz]

Have you checked the Hash value of setup with the provided one?

You also haven't clicked on any advertisements on that site?

EDIT: I just checked setup, it is the correct one (no spyware) on the site.

[leimrod]

Have you checked the Hash value of setup with the provided one?

You also haven't clicked on any advertisements on that site?

EDIT: I just checked setup, it is the correct one (no spyware) on the site.

I didn't click on any of the advertisements on the site and disabled the toolbar during installation.

Are you saying there's a reason to check the hash value from that site and that a version that is infected with spyware could be downloaded by people?

[Blazkowicz]

It is possible something went wrong with download and that's why i said to check hash value.

[leimrod]

It is possible something went wrong with download and that's why i said to check hash value.

My issue with this is that I have had this happen to me before on a previous version of Daemon tools, which is why I still use 4.09HE, any versions I've installed after that seem to come bundled with spyware that you are not given the option to disable during setup.

Regardless. I have a spare PC that is doing nothing atm. I intend to download the latest version of Daemon tools onto a vanilla install of Windows and show that it has this spyware bundled with it. If my findings are as I imagine I will be blogging it and adding it to stumbleupon and digg.

Don't worry I will check the MD5 hash and take screenshots to show that it is the version being released by Daemon Tools.

[Novecento]

and if your assumptions are wrong what then? Will you apologize then for being such a dick?

[leimrod]

yes. If i'm wrong i'll apologize. I'm understandably annoyed as I have had to reformat and reinstall the OS on 2 PC's, and the only thing these 2 PC's have in common is that I installed the new version of Daemon Tools on them around the same time.

I'm going to try both Vista and XP anyway and see if that makes a difference.

[leimrod]

Ok well I haven't been able to find anything. A few other people I know have also tested the software and have confirmed no issues.

Sorry for the accusations but you can understand the assumption. I recently installed Daemon tools on both of my PCs then I get riddled with viruses and then do a google search for "Daemon tools adware" and come up with thousands of results.

Anyway, thanks for the help Blazkowicz

[LocutusofBorg]

Thank you for your apologizes and let me take the opportunity:

the only thing that constantly astonishes me - I cant find out why some people clearly say we are liers
and that we try to rule the world by infecting our users systems.

If we are so untrustworthy, didnt they just thought "Why do they have such big community and fanbase?
They clearly stated IF they had adware in their product - but now try to fool everyone?" Does this sound
logical? Do others think we are morons? That we assume noone would find this out?

We had adware before, yes - but even than we didnt sneaked into our users machines, it was clearly
stated and you got even own window in installer + uninstaller + pdf-data + support + ANY help here in
case you installed it by "accident" in own, for this purpose created forum! (which is btw- sorry, but this is
my personal opinion - simple pathetic, who installs something by ACCIDENT and even afterwards complains
about it? Not that it never happend to me (ok - it never happend to me indeed. But even if it had
happened, I would not blame others because I did not read install-notes properly, but well, maybe Ive just
miss that we have to behave different nowadays)

For gods sake at least you clearified your findings - which I gratefully appreciate!

But alot of other persons blame us when in fact they have no clue what is going on at their machines, click
click click, ok ok ok ok, goddamn - format c: - reinstall OS - browserstart - daemontools - blame blame
blame. And - of course - never come back when we ask them to clearly state WHAT they found and
although we offer them all help to find out more about the issue..

Thats the chain I see every now and then... Too often people try to destroy our reputation. I hope at
least next person that post about "DT riddled my machine" has the same opinion as you and at least
afterwards excuse when they find out that we are not the culprit here.... even better would be of course
to try to investigate all this before someone create all this trouble, maybe even without threaten with a
blog about the evil DT Team.

But the truth is - too often people come posting here, behave like hysterics (where was that paranoid
mistrust when they visited websites that infected them? Why do we often hear afterwards in private
investigations: I downloaded warez from... I visited this site with all this nice pictures... I experimented
with trojans (yes - no joke! What bunch of monkeys download trojans to experiment with them to infect
others, infect then their OWN machines and have the nerves to blame US! I have proof of that, to bad I
cant simple post that emails from such morons here! When someone experiments with trojans to infect
others, they deserve nothing else). That only as explanation why my nerves are really a bit strained now..
I more or less always keep my mouth shut, but I want to clearify this so that others now also see other
site of the table, you know, from the lazy and evil DT Team

Before anyone here post their findings again I hope they read this thread..

[bernaar]

It's a conspiracy.......make the program look bad,and the customers/users will turn their back on ya.
I'm a long time user,in fact,since version 2.3,and I'm convinced that the DT team does everything to make their program better... that's why I still use it,and became a supporting member before there was a Pro version.....

[LocutusofBorg]

well, I first thought that, too. But after I read the thread at
the other board where all this crap seemed to start, I guess
it was indeed only a guy with less knowledge (unexperienced
user or beginner with computer-systems maybe) and not
harmfull intentions against us.
Unfortunatly, this charming guy, accusing us for riddling his systems and
menaced to report about it on some blogger-sites, now caused some confusion, as people
(often) do not read the full thread but only first few lines.
Strong lines like

I don't know what kind of game you are running here

are pretty fast cited by others and so the "hear-say" is on
its way. The guy only thought about his computers security,
I dont believe it was some kind of conspiracy. But in the end,
this is not what counts, as @bernaar already pointed out.

Therefore I changed the first post now and added some lines
as a note and summarized the results plus added at the bottom
of this site a linkback to the forum where all this hassle also
annoyed some guys, who - THANKS to you, whoever you are! -
found out pretty fast that we are not the culprit here and
CHECKED what they post before harm others. Anyway. I'm
pretty pissed now. Maybe best would be to all guys who post such
not-true statements deny the right to use DT for
lifetime now and ban them from all our sites. This to protect our interests,
as such persons can obviously damage our reputation, plus we dont want
to deal with them in the future but concentrate on those who contributed the most
to DT and our community.

[evolvtyon]

seriously..

Hello everyone,

I've just taken a 360 degree roundup throughout the internet about all this spyware issue. The funniest of course was a blog, that simply stated a "she's down, she's broke, she's shit" kinda situation. Needlessly to say that well detached was of course the DT ad aware/ spyware issue.

I've been using this application since almost it's first appearance on the web as a totally free tool and watched at a distance it's growth.

So I gotta say that after some time away I was pretty shocked to find out that DT youst (as in past) to contain ad aware. Shame on you.

I am really annoyed that a one second download in my brand new 50 Mbit connection actually took me 1 and a half ours to end! it's unacceptable.

Although I think you guys are still going to need a few more threads explaining how to remove your optional IE bar by the registry, I faithfully believe this will come to pass.

It's however astonishing how a misinformation spark can do such harm. But please, do not turn this program into a "crappy" package as early suggested. Seriously..

[leimrod]

woah... necromance from the past.

Mods... feel free to delete this thread if it's getting search engine hits or hits from social media sites.

I know the majority of users will probably only read the OP, but I just want to say that I've been using DT since posting this thread all those years ago without issue. I recommend it to everyone I know now, and in fact the office where I worked till recently all use this software.

I would hate to think that something I wrote in haste and ignorance years ago is damaging the reputation of an application that I love.

So feel free to remove this thread entirely to stop it from being found and misconstrued by others.

[Skuzze]

I only recently bought my computer, regular scans, downloaded daemon tools lite, I get some crap telling me to get their smilies, trying to change my home page and some shit trogen.gen crap, this is the latest version of Daemon Tools Lite, so stop lying.

[pbeepbee]

If it wasn't then, it sure is now and I downloaded directly off of your website. So, be pissed. Be really pissed because it sucks when shit you do not want gets installed on your computer without even a hard-to-find way of preventing it. No box to tick etc. This thread was started back in 08, sooo perhaps you guys just decided "fuck it" and went ahead and went down that route. Whatever the cause, there's unwanted software bundled with your program now and I'm pretty sure that THAT is why you are moderating comments. Trashy. real trashy.