I request that Comodo release a list of all files, folders, and registry entries a*sociated with an installation of each revised build of Comodo Personal Firewall and how to remove them.
The documentation on Comodo’s website does not list this information, nor is it listed in Comodo’s official forums.
[QUOTE]1. manual uninstall
All references to “manual install” point to a Comodo knowledgebase article, that subsequently refers to three forum threads
additional topic under Comodo Firewall FAQ: https://forums.comodo.com/index.php/topic,5326.0.html
[/quote]
Nowhere in the aforementioned references is there a complete certified listing by Comodo Staff of ALL directories, ALL drivers/files, and ALL registry entries a*sociated with an installation of each revised build of Comodo Personal Firewall and how to remove them.
I look forward to Comodo releasing this information publicly.
First of all, thank you for asking this question in a more civilised manner. Please allow me answer this question for you.
We provide an automatic uninstaller that does this work for the user. We found that it is easier for the users to use one automatic uninstaller to clean up everything they need, then give them a list of hundreds/thousands of entries that will create the danger of them messing up the registry and cause hassle with their PCs.
Lets assume there are 2 kinds of users
1)Novices/Lazy ones (like me )
2)advanced/hands on ones
Now, last thing you want the novices to mess around deleting and messing with the registry, that is why we provide automatic installer and guess what this also solves it for the lazy users
for advanced users: they know every single byte in/out of the system and they will use registry trackers etc to have a full report on what is where and who has put it there. They will have sniffers, sniffing the network to figure out what information is being sent to us, them and the others!
So it is fairly easy for you to get this information by using any freely available registry tracker, that is why we don’t provide it. The information is there in your machine and you have hundreds of different ways of you getting it.
Why we don’t duplicate this by providing it on our side:
1)we don’t want to encourage people messing with their registry
2)the information can be obtained anyway very easily with any freely available registry tracker tool
3)Registry information is dynamic as we store rules in it, so it will be different from machine to machine
4)This is not a practice done by any other firewall vendor to my knowledge (feel free to correct me, as I might be wrong, but haven’t seen anyone else doing it) so you are asking for something that is not an industry practice
5)To setup a process within our development dept to make sure we can provide this data, is going to cost time for developers. And I asked them and they said, why can’t get this info from trackers? Its not as if this information is not public for you not to get … its all there. and I must admit i have to agree with them. Whats the point of costing development time and money for information you can get using a free utility!
6)Please understand that this process will cost Comodo more than others if we were to put it in our development process, cos we have so many products and they are so frequently updated. Literally we would have to employ 2-3 people just to keep this information within this process (imagine the internal builds, alphas, betas etc etc we have to keep track of and imagine all the applications we have to do it for, the ones you know of that are public and the ones who are still not public).
Now… because I am answering this as I am eating my serial (bran with raisins ) i thought of a good anology (well I think it is anyway)… Imagine that you are dieting and want to keep a track of your weight… what do you do? do you count how many calories you take everyday, then calculate how much you burnt and then calculate if that would result in either added fat or reduced fat, then do you calculate how much muscle you have put on or lost that day in order to figure out your weight at the end of the day, or do you simply go weigh yourself? Yep… exactly… weighing yourself in the registry context is using a registry tracker. There are lots of them available, free and the information you want is there available to you.
I hope this answers your question and please do keep asking questions as this would help Comodo improve its products and operations.
I did not request an “automatic uninstaller” or binary tool. My request, which I have made in excess of forty times, was for a full list certified by Comodo of ALL files, directories, and registry entries associated with an installation of each revised build of Comodo Personal Firewall with instructions on how to remove them manually.
The issue isn’t that Comodo is providing a binary tool to automate the process, which would normally be handled by installshield. The issue is that this is all Comodo is providing. As a security expert running a security company I would expect you to understand this concept. I imagine you would not trust any physical hardware or software solutions on your own network with source code that could not be completely examined or if it came to an OS at the very least have a detailed list of the location of all related files and registry entries.
There is no documentation relating to a true “manual uninstall” process, which explains in detail what files, directories and registry entries that Comodo Personal Firewall installs on a users machine, the location of those files/directories/entries, and a detailed process of how to remove them. This is not FUD, this is a genuine tech support and security issue.
As I stated in the your blog thread before you removed all posts after Page 9 , there is nothing wrong with providing a binary tool for people who want to rely on an .exe/.dll binary in place of installshield. What is troubling is that after at least fifteen replies in your blog thread, you refuse the release of information relating to a full list certified by Comodo of ALL files, directories, and registry entries associated with an installation of each revised build of Comodo Personal Firewall with instructions on how to remove them manually.
There are no trade secrets associated with that information. Such information can only be used to document what is installed and how to remove all traces of an installation from an operating system.
As an end user, or potential end user of a security product, I should not have to track down every single file, directory, and registry change made to an operating system. That information should be publicly available by the software developer. Your suggestion is not representative of a company whose mission statement is based on building “trust”
Again, I should not have to track track down every single file, directory, and registry change made to an operating system. That information should be publicly available by the software developer.
Again, your suggestion is not representative of a company whose mission statement is based on building “trust”
While I understand this premise it is not totally honest. Home users have the potential to damage their computer, thus those users should no doubt rely on the binary tool and installshield. IT professionals and experienced users who care about validating their own security WILL require this information.
You are dodging the question. A request has been made multiple times on this forum from users besides myself that this information be made public.
Again you are dodging the question.
I have already given you examples, and I am sure I can find more. Just because “other” software developers refuse transparent disclosure of what changes they make to an operating system does not make that decision justified. Comodo is after all trying to establish a brand based on “trust”.
As I posted to your blog forum, which you subsequently decided to bury by moving the Off-Topic forum.
You have to be joking. Any IT security professional would laugh at this statement.
A list of all registry entries, files, and directories related to the installation of Comodo’s Firewall or any other Comodo product should be easily accessible in a concise .txt file to even the CEO of an IT security company like Comodo. This information should be within reach to any Comodo employee as reference to troubleshoot and relay apropriate tech support. The first question relating to manual uninstall procedure (removal of files, directories, registry entries) is not really a question of extraordinary nature for a software developer. The answer should on file so it can be reference quickly or copied if necessary.
This is a ridiculous claim. Your programmers would have this information on hand. Your global network of 4500 partners would undoubtedly request this information as well. This should be common knowledge. If smaller software developers can provide this information without any more effort than a knowledgebase article or forum post, then it should be no more difficult for Comodo. You are expecting me or anyone else to believe your explanation? That you can develop a security firewall, but can not document in a .txt file how to remove it?
Unfortunately, your analogy equates to a smoke screen. You have had multiple opportunities to release a full list certified by Comodo of ALL files, directories, and registry entries associated with an installation of each revised build of Comodo Personal Firewall with instructions on how to remove them manually. You have skirted this request more times than I can count.
This should be pretty clear to anyone who read my original thread, which was deleted by Comodo Moderators or from the a thread in your blog, which you removed all posts after page 8 and have attempted to bury by moving that portions of that thread to Off-Topic.
You are trying very hard to discredit Comodo and what it stands with your continued FUD.
Please stop it already! You got your answer to your question. Just because we don’t provide the information the way you want to, you have chosen to create FUD. Everyone in their right mind can see what you are doing. Also any IT professional or anyone with bit of computer knowledge will also know that either:
1)you don’t know how to track keys in registry by using readily available free tools
or
2)Know that you are using this lame excuse to continue in your FUD crusade
Well, either way its not going to be a positive outcome for you.
Question. What other software company would supply such information? A full list certified by the developer of all files associated with installation. Particular in such an open environment? I would think the best question would be which one of the free tools best uninstalls or tracks installation of Comodo products so average user is assured all left overs are gone if the user wants to uninstall and ask if the uninstaller provided by Comodo uninstalls everything cleanly.
From what little experience I have with the software development industry such actions would be inviting hackers to make it easier to ■■■■■ and disable the software.
I’m not lazy, just not that knowledgeable to pick through all areas to clean the system of leftovers. :THNK
I specifically requested a list certified by Comodo of ALL files, directories, and registry entries associated with an installation of each revised build of Comodo Personal Firewall with instructions on how to remove all traces of an installation manually from an OS.
I did not request an “automatic uninstaller” or binary tool.
You continue to skirt and dodge around my request for information. Why keep up the charade?
You clearly are not answering my request for disclosure? Why not outright say publicly on these forums that you refuse to release the requested information publicly? Yes, I imagine anyone “in their right mind” would see that you won’t answer my question with the information I have requested.
Any IT professional would realize that it is suspicious behavior to intentionally withhold information related to all files, directories, and registry changes made to an OS by a software product upon request. Further, most IT professionals and educated PC users would realize that is suspicious behavior to refuse to acknowledge how to remove all traces of a product without the need to depend on binary tool .
You are welcome to make any assumption you wish. However, your mission statement prides itself on building trust. Transparency builds trust. Trust is a two way street. Trust is not reinforced by stonewalling and refusing to share information publicly that is not considered a trade secret or of competitive advantage. I asked directly for a list of files, directories, and registry entries and you continue to dodge that request.
Melih, I’ve said it before, it does not reflect well on a CEO to lose composure and resort to personally attacking me, rather than answering my question with the information I have requested.
Is that a threat? Or are you simply acknowledging you have no intent to answer my question with information I have requested?
This is not an extraordinary request, even though that’s what Melih wants people on these forums to believe. Melih posed the same question as you, although it can’t really be an honest question coming from the CEO of an IT security company. He has to know the standards and demands that enterprise clients make, there is simply no other way Comodo could survive otherwise.
Your questions I answered in the thread below. I linked to the post in question, but you might gain more insight, by reading the whole thread.
Do you have any intention of actually reading my questions? I realize it’s easier to be a cheerleader but I do have questions relating to security concerns and information that should have been disclosed publicly.
Can you answer my questions directly? If so, my concerns will be laid to rest. I registered to these forums to get a straight answer to my questions. I have yet to receive a response with the information I have requested. Just because you feel ok installing a product on your machine and have no interest in knowing what changes have been made does not mean you speak for me.
Do you go to every vendor of all of the software you have installed on your PC and ask for a list of all the files and their locations installed by each program?
If it involves a security firewall the answer is yes. The same goes for anti-virus.
The OS I can’t do much about, everyone knows that Microsoft has built in dial home features and processes running that secretly collect information on a host PC’s user habits.
There’s not much anything ANY Microsoft user can do about that EXCEPT for using a safe firewall that blocks outbound communication that can be trusted.
If the firewall itself can not be trusted, the rest of the applications on a PC can freely communicate with the outside world. So again, this is why is it critical that a firewall can be trusted.
Another cheerleader who only tries to attack me personally instead of the questions I have raised.
Why don’t you actually try and answer my questions or find fault with them?
There’s choice number three, which Melih is desperately avoiding. He would rather attack me personally, which can be seen in this thread and the other thread rather than address my request for disclosure.
Comodo prides itself on building trust -----------> Comodo releases a full list of all files, directories, and registry entries associated with an installation of each revised build of Comodo Firewall and includes the required steps on how to manually remove them without an automated binary tool.
It’s lusher that instead of addressing the requests that I made for a complete disclosure of files, directories, and registry entries associated with CPF that you have resorted to
skirting and dodging around my requests, without disclosing the information I requested
resorting to a weak charade of labeling my questions as FUD, since you clearly had no intention of answering my questions about “manual uninstall” or the CPF EULA (see 1)
moving the original posts to Off-Topic in an attempt to bury the questions
have resorted to insulting me personally and attacking my credibility rather than answering my questions.
Melih are you “creating trust online” by attacking my character, rather than addressing my questions with information that I requested? Are you reinforcing trust in your image and brand by resulting to smears against me, rather than answering my questions with information requested?
I was perfectly civil in all my posts, I refrained from any obscenities or vulgarities because that language is not representative of a legitimate inquiry.
I acted in a suitable way, with the only grievance that could be made was the choice of words used for the topic. All of my posts while pointed, were civil. I explained my skepticism and the reasons behind it. I asked questions and hoped that direct answers to those questions would lay some or hopefully all of those concerns to rest. After 30+ replies Melih, I have seen you dodge the main questions raised and try to attack me personally.
What’s wrong with examining a EULA and raising questions about it? It’s a security product after all. The legal agreement should be of concern to anyone who chooses to accept it. Most people never read it. I had concerns, I raised them, I waited for a direct response that addresses those questions. I’m still waiting.
Melih, you should disclose the information I specifically requested in regards to files, directories, and registry entries associated with an installation or each revised build of Comodo Personal Firewall including steps required to remove them manually without a “binary tool”, or end his charade and flat out refuse to do so.
I never use my real IP on the internet, especially in situations like these because unfortunately people who do not like questions often resort to retribution attacks. It would be stupid to think that I should let you try and DDoS my IP off the internet, or try and harass me in some way in real life, because I raised a few questions about your Comodo Personal Firewall product, which I personally would like an answer to.
Again, you still have yet to directly answer my questions
I requested that Comodo publicly release a complete list of all files, directories and registry entries associated with an installation of each revised build of Comodo Personal Firewall and the required steps that are needed to remove them manually.
This information benefits all Comodo users. You even stated yourself that you could release this information publicly, in the other thread, which your Moderator locked. It’s rather cowardly to attack me personally then not allow me the chance to reply and defend myself.
You acknowledged that you could share the information related to manual uninstall that I requested, which would answer my question, and be of technical assistance to Comodo Personal Firewall’s entire userbase, yet you say you are unwilling to do so because of a personal critique of my original thread topic and thus wanting to label my questions as FUD? You claimed to withhold this information from all Comodo Personal Firewall users unless I replied to your posts about FUD with a specific answer that you wanted.
Why would a CEO, position himself to hold that information hostage from all CPF users regardless if I choose to answer the question the way you want me to answer it?
When I posted a new thread in an attempt to appease your wishes (this thread), you replied to this thread and intentionally withheld the information I had requested. I did not ask for a binary tool or information relating to a binary tool.
I expressed concern as a potential user of CPF to an intentional inclusion in the CPF EULA of a web link to Comodo’s Privacy Policy, which can change the physical scope of the EULA at any time and effect all Comodo CPF users retroactively, without the knowledge of those users.
I value my rights, no matter which software I use, and those choices deserve skepticism. I asked questions in the hope that my skepticism was unfounded.
After 30+ posts I have yet to receive direct answers with respect to manual uninstall and CPF EULA.
I say again I would expect more composure from the CEO of an IT security company. Insulting end users, even potential end users who ask for information to be released publicly on how to uninstall your product, is questionable behavior.
I asked a direct question, you will not answer. Your actions and responses do not match your rhetoric. Trust is a two way street, yet you will not answer my questions with the information I have requested. The end user is supposed to trust Comodo, but Comodo will not trust the end user. That sounds indicative of trusted computing.
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