SillyDog701

[geffr]

The patch on Microsoft's site linked to at the end of the story worked for me. So far I have just disabled. I hope it's really disabled.

"--Windows Update Installs Firefox Add-on Surreptitiously
(May 29 & June 1, 2009)
Firefox users are unhappy that a recent Windows Update installed the
.NET Framework assistant extension to the browser without first asking
for authorization. The extension piggybacked on .NET Framework 3.5
Service Pack 1. The add-on establishes in Firefox "the ability for web
sites to easily and quietly install software on your PC." The add-on
is difficult to uninstall. Initially, the uninstall button was grayed
out and manually uninstalling the add-on required "modifying the Windows
registry, resetting changes made to the Firefox user agent and removing
the .NET Framework extension files." There is now a fix available from
Microsoft that restores the functionality of the uninstall button.

Microsoft Update Quietly Installs Firefox Extension

Microsoft installs Firefox extension without asking
Firefox users flip out over sneak MS add-on
[Editor's Note (Northcutt): This reminds me of the Sony rootkit mess,
is this even legal? To install sw without permission, I don't think it
is. I just checked my Firefox and they got me too and my Uninstall is
grayed out. But good for Microsoft for making a fix available:

Update to .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 for the .NET Framework Assistant 1.0 for Firefox
But bad for Microsoft to make the fix scary. Why would you put software
on people's computers without their permission if it had known issues?]"

[Link to [sdt=15708]other SillyDog Thread on this topic[/sdt]]

[BBCode added and last link added by profman. 6/7/2009]

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.0.10) Gecko/2009042316 Firefox/3.0.10 (.NET CLR 3.5.30729)

[Antony]

thanks for the heads up.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10.5; en-US; rv:1.9.0.10) Gecko/2009042315 Firefox/3.0.10

[humpd]

I was just going to check for Windows updates so thanks very much for the heads up. MS just keeps on screwing up! I am giving some serious thought to switching to a Mac the next time I purchase a new computer.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.0.10) Gecko/2009042316 Firefox/3.0.10

[geffr]

This APPARENTLY only effects people who have chosen to install .NET in the past. It was on one of my machines & not on the other.

Still 100% wrong by MS. I wouldn't be surprised to see a class action or EEC regulatory action on this.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.0.10) Gecko/2009042316 Firefox/3.0.10 (.NET CLR 3.5.30729)