Firefox users, beware Microsoft's .NET addon

[Administrator]

The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 update, pushed through the Windows Update service to all recent editions of Windows in February 2009, installs the Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant firefox extension without asking your permission.

This update adds to Firefox one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities present in all versions of Internet Explorer: the ability for websites to easily and quietly install software on your PC. Since this design flaw is one of the reasons you may've originally choosen to abandon IE in favor of a safer browser like Firefox, you may wish to remove this extension with all due haste.

Unfortunately, Microsoft in their infinite wisdom has taken steps to make the removal of this extension particularly difficult - open the Add-ons window in Firefox, and you'll notice the Uninstall button next to their extension is grayed out! Their reasoning, according to Microsoft blogger Brad Abrams, is that the extension needed "support at the machine level in order to enable the feature for all users on the machine," which, of course, is precisely the reason this add-on is bad news for all Firefox users.

Read more and get removal instructions at:
http://annoyances.org/exec/show/article08-600

[3cmSailorfuku]

It's not like firefox would be any safer than IE, but Opera > All.
I really don't understand why they want to have ClickOnce features all over the place that much,
it's way more annoying than Java Webstart.

I'm more amused at the fact that the plugin installs at machine level and the uninstall button is greyed out for users lol.

[aasi888]

Is it only installed if you use the automatic updates to get the .net 3.5 ? Cause I installed it manually and I can't see the addon:

[Administrator]

They have changed it since. They decided to not install it without your permission any longer because so many people disliked that. They also have been forced to admit that they lied about it needing to be installed at kernel level (which came out after several people proved it would run perfectly fine in user-mode) which means you should now be able to uninstall it by clicking the button.

If you do not see add-ons or plugins installed by .NET 3.5, you're safe.