Forum feedback forum: Coupon Companion Adware

This is getting annoying with CNET. Had a similar problem with another download. Not going to use anymore even though I have been loyal for 10years. This is judt bad business.

I'll bring this to the attention of the Download.com team.

Thanks!
-Lee

It has been six months since you were to bring this to the attention of someone who could fix the problem but yesterday I downloaded a system utility and declined all offers and guess what? Coupon companion was installed without my knowledge. The funny thing is, I never even installed the utility. Just for downloading the program your coupon companion installed on my computer. So it is definitely CNET that is installing malware on my computer. I will never trust CNET again. I suggest nobody else either.

Same thing here. I downloaded a program, made sure to decline ALL offers, and Coupon Companion is linking all kinds of things in Wikipedia, forums, just about everywhere.

C'mon, CNET. You guys are nerd heroes!

Hello, Lee! It's the installer rather than any of the downloaded programs. Here's what you did differently: "I didn't find anything and there was no opt in or opt out of getting a Coupon Companion. As a matter of fact, this didn't even come wrapped in the Download.com installer."

We used the installer, and that is what brought in the unwanted file.

I had the same experience on 12/05/2012. I downloaded Ico Converter, deselected the checkbox, and immediately saw CouponCompanion.exe, which AVG flagged as a PUP (potentially unwanted program) later in the day. I was upset, I contacted support, and received this reply:

"The CNET Download.com Installer is an ad-supported stub installer or "download manager" used for many software titles on our site, and does offer additional, optional third party applications, like Coupon Companion, during the installation process. All offers included in the Installer are tested to make sure that they conform with our security policies prohibiting malware and spyware, and all may be declined or opted-out of without affecting the initial download.

In future, if you do not wish to use the CNET Download.com Installer, you always have the option of using the "Direct Download Link" instead. All products on CNET Download.com have a direct download link, but only "CNET Installer Enabled" products call it out separately.

Depending on your browser and the specific product you are looking at, you can find the "Direct Download Link" in one of three places on the page for CNET Installer Enabled items:

- Right underneath the green "Download Now" button

- By mousing over the green "Download Now" button in order to see and click the "Direct Download Link" in a pop-up bubble

- By mousing over the blue "CNET Installer Enabled" text in the "Quick Specifications" column to the right side of the product page to see and click the "Direct Download Link" in a pop-up bubble

You also have the option to turn off the Installer for the whole site, though you do currently need to have a CNET account and be logged in to take advantage of that feature. To do so, login to the site, click the "My profile" link and then the "Update my Download.com Preferences" link, select the "Off" option and click the "Save Changes" button.

You can read more about the Installer here:

http://t.cnet.com/SB3tiC"

So that's the problem-- the installer is deceptive, ignoring the opt-out, and people are screaming because they end up with unwanted software. That helps neither CNet nor the software manufacturer, and it really annoys us. Thanks.

I can't believe that cnet.com, a website I've trusted for over five years, would do something like this. I cannot get the semi-smutty ads off my computer screen. Has anyone an idea of what to do?

Thank you!

Gina

Also, forgot to mention, System restores doesnt effect video games, documents, norton, ect. It only effects the DOWNLOADED programs and the main system changes between the time you roll it back and the time you are rolling it back too

download that you think this came in.

I'm sure CNET does not intentionally include "malicious software" in the downloads that it offers and, given the exact file name of the download, and possibly the link to it, the Download Staff will be able to check your assertion.
Remember that a lot of downloads are coming from third party sites, CNET has nothing to do with those other than to supply a link to the download site.

It would also help if you were to name the Malicious Software too.

I have alerted your post to those that can take the necessary action

P

Note: This post was edited by a forum moderator to fix typo on 09/17/2012 at 9:03 AM PT

Registry cleaners can indeed cause more trouble that they are worth and folk today may find installing such may offer up some plug in or cause some formerly dormant app to show up.

If you can share which download it was, then we can alert it and have those that can change this look at it.

If you can't tell which it was, that's OK.
Bob

http://download.cnet.com/Softi-Scan-to-PDF/3000-2064_4-10795678.html shows a direct download link.

The second one is not one I could find today. I've alerted this post so the folk at download.com can check it out.
Bob

I have reported this to the Download.com team to look into.

Thanks for reporting it and providing the links.

Cheers!
-Lee

I was finally able to remove AVG Secure Search via Tools / Internet Options / search defaults.

I did not download any AVG software intentionally. It is possible that I missed a checkbox that was alraedy checked somewhere, but if so, it was not very obvious. I also had a lot of difficulty removing the AVG software which seemed to pop up by iteself...without requiring a separate install. It acted like malware that was downloaded via a trojan or something similar, but I can't be sure.

Lee- I don't know if you didn't have the time to bring this up to the download team or if they couldn't care less, but this is still happening. Just like another user described, I used the damned cnet download manager to download the application, but I ended up not installing it, so the only thing that I've installed is that cnet download manager. Just like many users, I made sure to uncheck all the add-on boxes (which mere presence is unworthy of cnet, by the way) and still I got this junkware.

Seriously?? Cnet of all sites is secretly pushing crapware? It's a bad joke.

I'm doing a system restore now, I will never use this shameful site again. I just honestly don't know where to turn to now because I've downloaded exclusively from cnet for too many years, but you guys just wiped your butts with our trust in your site.

This is extremely annoying to me. I'm a web developer and I downloaded a file manager from CNET while working. Then I noticed that the site I was working on had ads all over, I thought my client had been hacked (which would've been my fault).

I spent at least 30 VERY panic-filled minutes trying to locate the issue on the server. Turns out, the issue was on my PC, because the CNET downloaded forced the install of software I didn't ask for.

This is the LAST time I EVER use CNET for downloads. I COULD NOT be more angry right now.