CyberDefender and it’s adverts!
Not long ago we reported that a program named CyberDefender came with adverts in it’s paid version. Steven Burns from Ur I.T. Mate Group was the first to report this.
Steven also captured a video about this using a licensed CyberDefender (it’s a paid version provided by CyberDefender for testing). With Steven’s permission you can view the video below;
Direct link to the Video —>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VwygRK9y-4
As you can see, adverts clearly appear. Which in affect isn’t a big issue aslong as this is clearly stated for current & potential new customers of this program. If it isn’t, then I’m afraid better practices need to be carried out to ensure the safety of potential new customers.
First safety, then the money!
Why not join us about this and debate it in our forum.
Coverage: Digg.com
EarlyDetection Center is offers protection for Spyware, Viruses, Phishing Attacks, earlySPAM detection and earlyMONITOR protectioin to make sure that all updates needed are run. When you install this app – no advertisements appear in the product on the desktop or anywhere else on your computer. The product is clearly advertised for ONLY the functions above.
As some security companies also have developed their own backup solutions it is not uncommon for those companies to have links within their own products to allow you to add additional programs of value to your system.
This is what CyberDefender is doing here. The company has yet to develop its own back up solution, it also is not nearly able to offer the type of benefits for complete identity protection as offered by its partners both for ID Protection and credit monitoring. So if you are interested in those features which go way beyond what is offered for 11.99 – than their are links to click on that take you to partners that provide those offers. Nothing is offered to you without clicking on links that go way beyond what the product is advertised to do.
In offering additional solutions in the future, we are evaluating how to include many of thises options in an all inclusive package that would certainly sell for more than 11.99. For the time being we wanted to work with our users to alert them that other tools should be a part of thier security arsenal. None of us thought that LINKS to additional options could be interepreted as advertisements.
Our ad supported product has ad banners which appear only while the product is running within the program. We have made a clear deliniation between the two. We are sorry if you think that LINKS to upgrade options is advertisement but we chose to suggest companies that we believe in for options that we beleive improve your security. You only learn of these partners if you click on links that are for OPTIONS other than what the product is purchased for. No Banners are ever seen in this product.
Well if you buy say a Top rated Thriller on DVD you dont expect to get Adds right in the middle of the Action do you?
Sorry Guys but if i pay for the software why should i get adds as well?
So how much are you getting from these ‘options’ IF someone purchases?
I mean, we already paid once to get your prog, are you trying to make users buy more and line your pockets at the same time?
Or are the ‘options’ also software developed/partnered/owned by you or your subsidaries (sp) ?
Just curious as to WHY you find those certain ‘options’ the best ones to promote.
ever tried to start a DVD without 20 previews – how much do you pay for DVD’s
Sammi,
Actually the best example I can think of for you is like with financial software for example (Intuit or Money).
Those companies will also have links to: order checks, link with your bank, sign up for saving accounts or broker partnershhips all options above what you initially pay for but with links enabling you the opportunity to connect within the software. However you still get what you pay for which is great software that manages your money.
However – you don’t get the checks for free, you don’t usually get free money in the account either savings or stock acct you connect to and if you wish to get online banking info downloaded into your software – they don’t usually pay your bank your online banking fee’s. You may however even get a better deal on those options if the company negotiated one for you.
just_a_geek i understand your Point but DVDS Dont put the Adds right in the middle ofthe movie do they? i think this is Unfair practice and should stop
In Reply To CyberDefender:
Quote:
‘You may however even get a better deal on those options if the company negotiated one for you.’
Are you implying that this is what YOU are doing? If so, I ask again, are you making a profit from your ‘negotiations’? And if that is the case, why do you feel the need to make MORE money from your paid customers?
If you were making no profit from those negotiations, would you still (I use the term loosely) ‘advertise’ the product you think would benefit you customer the best?
Have you checked ALL these companies PERSONALLY to make sure they are not any sort of ‘threat’ to those customers? Or even if they themselves do not advertise any thing ‘nasty’ after they have been purchased?
Customers have purchased your software in Good Faith, I am sure they would think you would take that as a great honour, and would NOT deliberately, or even accidentally, expose them to any malicious advertising.
Maybe having the adverts on your main website would be better practice? Then you could dispel them from your software as I am sure they would get more ‘hits’ on a mainstream website than a piece of software that not every visitor will purchase. After all, they must have an interest in the kind of things you are advertising or they would not be on your website in the first place!
PS. On a side note, there ARE bank accounts that tempt you with the offer of free money for opening an account here in the UK!
Quote:Actually the best example I can think of for you is like with financial software for example (Intuit or Money).
Those companies will also have links to: order checks, link with your bank, sign up for saving accounts or broker partnershhips all options above what you initially pay for but with links enabling you the opportunity to connect within the software. However you still get what you pay for which is great software that manages your money.
The above mentioned program “Money” as in Microsoft Money? That is the only financial program I am aware of with that name and I’m reasonably sure MS has a copyright on the name “Money” when it’s used in connection with financial software.
NO Alan there are NO advertisements in Money.
Your clear distinction between adsupported and adware exists in your mind only. For the rest of us they are one and the same. Ads are ads a rose is a rose….get it?
You stated at CastleCops that only your free version had ads.
The version reviewed and now hosted on YouTube is the paid version you claim has no advertising. It clearly contains ads. How are ads to Credit Management remotely related to upgrading your product?
How is a P2P style updating system going to keep my financial information secure? Those of us in the security community warn against any P2P activity because of the dangers.
Yet you use this sort of system to “cut costs”. How will this be beneficial to me? No thanks I don’t want to be sharing files with the script kiddie down the block or the malware infested machines out there.
@CyberDefender (guessing this is Alan?)
You’ve kinda missed the point here.
Your PAID version is supposed to come WITHOUT adverts. Clearly this is not the case as the video shows, and the previous report shows.
By including adverts in the paid version, you are mis-representing the point of paying, and effectively, scamming your users.
Sorry CyberDefender But as long as you continue to Package adds with Paid for software people will continue to think you are Scamming them,
If you remove the Adds from the Pay to use version that would be the best idea
CyberDefender is overly opportunistic here. If it’s legal, it doesn’t mean it’s best.
Too many fraudulent anti-spyware programs out there for us to trust anyone that is borderline.
I downloaded your “FREE” virus protection and found it is anything but “FREE”.
I want to remove the initial download which I have not activated but it does not show in my “Remove Program” list. What name is it placed under?
Hi pat corona,
You are best asking this in our forum. You won’t get a response from CyberDefender.
It could be possible its under something totally different. Our helpers can guide you with this in removing this program.
Andy
Now, I thought this was a little strange, cuz I installed Cyberdefender Free about 4 months ago. Yes, it had some adverts, like several other ‘free’ versions, but most were pushing to upgrade to the paid version.
The free version is really a scanner, but it does remove spyware and trojans – which is what I was using it for. About 2 months ago, I got hit with the Virtumondo virus which is quite wicked. Cyberdefender caught it, but I had to pay to upgrade and remove it – no problem since I am willing to buy software that works (other anti-virus programs do this as well).
The paid version that I got did not have any ads in it!!
I think that maybe Cyberdefender may have had ads 2 years ago when you looked at it, but as of now it does not have ads. Especially like what is in the Youtube video.
In the 2 months that I have been using the paid version of CD, I have been happy with it.
We purchased CD in December after getting a nasty virus, which required us to replace our hard drive & memory chips. CD does NOT catch viruses. The only thing it ever alerts to is Cookies.
I didn’t even get as far as paying for it. I downloaded the free version and it just jammed everything up, forcing its way into everything I did. I was to the point where I’d have paid for a program to defend me against Cyberdefender.
The only marketer I’ve ever encountered as aggressive as Cyberdefender was a whore in Detroit.
I completely disapprove of the way the free version of cyberdefender sticks itself onto your computer. (1) it put a full-time system tray icon in without telling/asking me, (2) the right-click “exit” function on the system tray icon does not exit the program, it merely causes two ads to pop up, and (3) when you try to uninstall it, it first sends to you their website, then won’t uninstall at all unless you exit the program (which, as per #2 above) can’t be done in the normal way. I had to go to task manager/processes, find the process, and then click end process to finally get this malware off of my computer. My advice: DO NOT download Cyberdefender. In fact, I’m going to register a complaint with the BBB first thing Monday morning.
Let me tell everyone a story of what I had to clean up from Cyberdefender’s great service. A client calls me telling me that he tried them out and that he called their 1-800 number and talked with a rep, well to make a long story short they talked him into a remote session and “played around” well after a reboot my client was unable to connection to the net or any of his perif’s would read like printers and his blackberry. the Cyberdefender rep was still on the phone with him and just told him that his PC “just boke”. they bring me the computer and every last one of windows services was disabled, every last one. now tell me what kind of service is that, his computer was working before the remote session then after they tell him it just broke? Give me a break Cyberdefender, oh and did i mention that their software was the only thing left up and running after their “remote service”! Users beware!!!!
It’s been about a year since I started using Cyberdefender and I like it; It’s better then other anti-virus software I’ve used.
Last year it blocked a really bad virus from attacking my computer. I was sure glad I had it loaded; that virus was a really bad one. When it scanned and found the virus, I bought the paid version. I wanted to fix my system, and it was I wanted the 2 GB online backup and the technical support.
The support has really came in handy on several occasions. When I had a problem with my printer, my husband told me to call their help desk. I didn’t really think they would be able to help me because it wasn’t a problem with their software, or that I would sit on hold forever, but they did help me and I wasn’t on hold for two days. I found them to be very helpful in addition to feeling very protected.
We are all entitled to our opinion and in an ideal world we would want to see every vendor having suitable ethics.
It has been some time since I tried this software. And in time I will revisit. However until then, my recommendation stands.
AndyAtHull
This product is a SCAM.. I wish I had read the reviews on CNET before getting convinced I needed it. It’s true the FREE version is only a scan adn then it shows a “BAD” virus that needs to be removed. So I paid the $29.98 for the version that would remove it. I was told that I would receive an email with the code. I never did. I called customer service and was told, and I quote,” these are really bad viruses NO program will be able to remove it you will need to pay $129.98 for one of our techs to remove it.” I made the mistake of believing him and paid the money. I then allowed the tech to enter my computer and “FIX” the problem. HUH I watched as he/she downloaded free software (Malware bytes) to remove the BAD virus and then let is sit until it finished the scan removed the things it found, downloaded a FREE flusher, called me to say it was ready. I turned it on and to my SURPRISE it was worse. I called ,called and called until I finally talked to an OPERATOR who told me that she would escalate my concerns and her acounts manager would return my call in an hour. NO CALL. I finally,after three days, spoke with someone who assured me that I would receive my refund and I have yet to see even the initial $29.98 I was told was processed and refunded weeks ago. So my advice IT”S A SCAM STAY AWAY. as many people have said on CNET.
I can solve all these problems with one word…..Linux! Even after trying very hard, I have yet to be infected! This is amazing stuff!
You think you all have it bad? (That was to those who didn’t waste their money on this thing which is… Nobody!) My computer INADVERTEDLY OBTAINED THIS PROGRAM, I did not download it from the website or anything the sort. A random spyware attack actually GAVE ME THE PROGRAM. I suspected it was another fake anti-virus/spyware thing as that same spyware that the computer was infected with had tried that twice already. EVENTUALLY one of the pop-ups gave me a phone number, and I called. I couldn’t check the internet as the spyware disabled it on that computer. As I called them I looked up things on CyberDefender using my sister’s laptop, and man did I find a lot of complaints similar to the ones I had. (The whole “computer is slower and I can’t take off the program” stuff) They redirected me to somebody of higher status about twice and the last guy said that this was an odd problem. He then told me to go to the website of CD and then run a program that would let him connect to my computer (A remote session I believe) and I said that the computer I was using wasn’t it. He then told me to run it anyways and I said that I something had come up and I had to go. He decided to give me links to websites that would allow me to take off the program, one of which was “Malware Bytes” as the comment above me mentions and I said “OK thanks” and hung up. Afterwards I found THIS site and I am glad I didn’t let them touch my computer anymore than they have already violated it.
…
At least they were nice and helpful, I suppose. That or very subtle to the odd problem that the first person I was redirected to had “never seen in the four years that [he had] worked [at CyberDefender]“.
Also, as one last parting word, call it my paranoia but I think all those who are saying good things about CD are CD THEMSELVES on several accounts.