On occasion we need to either install new software on our computers or update them.  Today with most software you install or update, they will try to add on additional software that you really do not want.

Take for example CutePDF.  It takes anything that you can print and turns it into a PDF document. And it’s free – but there’s the catch.  Most software that is ‘free’ comes at the price of the extra unwanted software. It is how they can afford to offer their legitimate software – the ‘extra’ software pays them to do it.

In the above example the boxes are not check marked (because I unchecked them!) I do NOT want the Ask toolbar on every web browser I have, I do NOT want Ask.com as my browser home page and subsequent new tabs.  If I did not stop to read what going to be installed before clicking ‘Next’ I would get more than I wanted.

You don’t have to read the 5000-10,000 lines of the EULA (End User License Agreement) when it comes up – although it wouldn’t hurt to read just one once, so you have a general idea of what you are really agreeing to.  It is usually the dialog boxes that follow with those pre-checked boxes.

In summary – read the details before you click Accept, and uncheck things you do not want.

It’s Cyber Security Month! 31 security tips in 31 days brought to you by Bandon IT, Managed Solutions Provider.