{"id":38395,"date":"2015-03-13T15:34:03","date_gmt":"2015-03-13T22:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/?p=38395"},"modified":"2015-03-13T15:34:03","modified_gmt":"2015-03-13T22:34:03","slug":"java-for-mac-and-the-mysterious-ask-toolbar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/java-for-mac-and-the-mysterious-ask-toolbar\/","title":{"rendered":"Java for Mac and the Mysterious Ask.com Toolbar"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Java<\/p>\n

Last week, security specialists<\/a>, Mac enthusiasts<\/a> and tech journalists<\/a> all swirled around Oracle after a discovery that Java for Mac now includes an Ask.com toolbar during installation. Rich Trouton, a Mac systems admin who runs the Der Founder blog<\/a>, discovered that the latest Java SE 8u40 installer is also installing an\u00a0Ask.com toolbar.<\/p>\n

Intego took a close\u00a0look at the Ask toolbar now\u00a0offered\u00a0with Java on Macs, and found\u00a0there are two versions that apply to Mac users: one is potentially adware, and another is\u00a0a PUP\/PUA (potentially unwanted application \/ potentially unwanted program).<\/p>\n

If a Mac user installs Java and does not already have an\u00a0Ask toolbar installed, they are\u00a0offered the Ask Search Toolbar (PUP\/PUA). If a Mac user installing Java already has the Ask Search\u00a0Toolbar, they\u00a0are\u00a0offered the Ask Shopping Toolbar (potentially adware). These toolbars are installed on the default browser and then on other browsers on subsequent installations, according to a Java\u00a0FAQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Ask Search Toolbar, although annoying,\u00a0serves no popup ads typically seen in adware. For this reason, Intego classifies it as a PUP\/PUA. No matter the case, whether identified as adware or PUP\/PUA, one thing is clear\u2014Oracle’s inclusion of the toolbar during Java installations\u00a0has many Mac users up in arms.<\/p>\n

But\u00a0all\u00a0that may be\u00a0beside the point.<\/p>\n

Today, Intego security researchers downloaded\u00a0Java\u00a0from both oracle.com<\/a> and java.com<\/a> and\u00a0noticed something\u00a0peculiar: we were not offered to install the Ask toolbar during the installation of Java for Mac. The mysterious Ask.com toolbar is\u00a0gone, perhaps vanquished by tremendous backlash from the Mac community.<\/p>\n

Did\u00a0Oracle remove the Ask toolbar from Java for Mac installations?<\/p>\n

This page<\/a>\u00a0indicates that the Ask toolbar is still, or should still be, included with Java for Mac OS X\u00a0platforms. Therefore, it’s possible the toolbar may return with a vengeance, but for now it’s gone. It has simply disappeared.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, Intego VirusBarrier<\/a> with up-to-date malware definitions detects the Ask toolbar during the installation of Java software as OSX\/AskToolbar<\/strong>, allowing\u00a0Mac users to block the toolbar from being installed\u00a0while still being able to install\u00a0Java, as desired.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week, security specialists, Mac enthusiasts and tech journalists all swirled around Oracle after a discovery that Java for Mac now includes an Ask.com toolbar during installation. Rich Trouton, a Mac systems admin who runs the Der Founder blog, discovered that the latest Java SE 8u40 installer is also installing an\u00a0Ask.com toolbar. Intego took a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":30013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[323,2047,2050,2044,2038,75,174,183,2041,2032],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n