Ask.com / Interactive Corp. Does It Again
All Windows Users
For years, they’ve polluted computers with a nasty bundle of malware they called, ironically, FunWebProducts. FunWebProducts was a bundle of malware that lured innocent users with cute looking free smileys and emoticons and other supposedly fun stuff including such gems as MyEmailStationery, WebFetti, MyWebSearch. My, my, my how times change. it took years but finally as more and more sites like ours exposed FunWebProducts for what it really was, malware, FunWebProducts popularity waned and we rarely see it anymore. All FunWebProducts did was corrupt Windows systems, hijack browsers and search engines, and make computer life miserable for millions of people who were lured in by those cute smileys and emoticons.
One would think that Ask.com/Interactive Corp would have given up on the malware game, but, we’re sorry to say, they are intrepid. One reason, we suppose, they think they can get away with playing the same game with new malware products is because most people never associated FunWebProducts with Ask.com. Ask is still riding the cutesy Ask Jeeves” image, but there’s nothing cutesy about polluting unsuspecting users’ computers with a bundle of malware.
Ask.com / InterActiveCorp now hide behind a different moniker: Mindspark Interactive. And the newest suite of deleterious malware from Mindspark (Ask.com / Interactive corp.) sure to ruin your computer, hijack your browser and search engine and generally make your computer life miserable, is called Utility Chest:
Above download page for the installer for Google Chrome. Don’t worry! If you use Firefox or Internet Explorer Mindspark has you covered! See?
And if you love to read, you’ll love the End User License Agreement. The only EULA we’ve ever seen with its own Table of Contents!
Looks like Mindspark has a battery of verbose attorneys – the EULA is over 6100 words, 11 pages of legalese that we’re sure everyone will take time to read.
We wanted to give you a heads up about this new bundle of malware garbage from Ask / Interactive / Mindspark. We’re betting if they trick enough suckers into downloading Utility Chest – they’ll be adding more and more “features” to it, just like they did with FunWebProducts. FunWebProducts “featured” over a dozen malware components disguised as useful freeware. We’re betting, Utility Chest will follow the path — eventually including just about everything under the sun, whatever is needed to lure people into this cesspool of malware.
It’s being advertised all of the web, as Ask / Interactive / Mindspark want to turn your computer into advertising gold. BEWARE UTILITY CHEST!
See that? If you see that while your browser – don’t click it. Don’t believe it. Run away from it.
thanks for another “heads up.” Where would all of us seniors be without you being our ‘life saver’ about all these bad people?
I so agree!
Thanks Guys,
That sneaky, innocent use of the letters M S could be mistaken for Microsoft’s use of those same letters MS. Only a space is the difference. Keep it up.
T.P
What’s sad is you already have access to all of this on your computer or through your trusty search bar.
MindSpark may be new, but Ask isn’t. People should be aware of “ask” and their reputation by now, and be on full alert when they see “powered by Ask” phrase in the Mindspark ads. That is, of course, if they actually read the whole ad. Sadly, so many don’t take responsibility for doing even that, and get “caught in the Ask trap”.
Leslie is correct. Either you already have the same features on your computer or it’s easily available with a google or duckduckgo search.