My issue is with ONLINE activation. I 've used Comodo since the early v.3. I have NEVER had to contact Comodo servers in order to “activate” my license. Now i do. Why? I get suspicious. Most FREE programs do NOT require ONLINE activation. I see it as an unxplainable “phone home” request, which didn’t exist before. I use 3.5.x.439 and has no such request. Why does it have such a request now? Well, the programmers know and it’s their right to change their mind, i just don’t like it.
Do you remember some years ago the “ZA phones home” issue? It wasn’t downloading malware but the mandatory contact to ZA servers, became an issue in fora like dsl reports. Some people want complete control over their security programs and personally, when something is free, i see no reason to call its servers in order to activate my license. Give me a key to activate my license offline, if you MUST activate at all costs the program. But, as i said, why is that .439 and prior to that didn’t need to contact home and now it does? Call me paranoid, i have my quirks. I can accept online activation for paid products, but for free ones, if i can avoid it, i will. I even avoid paid products when i can, that have online activation , since they send info home behind my back (Twister sends my PC username and machine config, at least i know that much).
Most programs send the user info right before they update your system database. Norton even installs software on your pc without telling you (remember pifts.exe ?)
I’m not sure why Comodo does this and I actually don’t know if it’s actually doing what it says it does :D. But I understand your concern.
I am SURE Norton does that and i am not surprised. Twister also needs online activation. WinPatrol also needs it for the PLUS version. All these have one thing in common. They are PAYWARE. Online activation is part of authenticating that you are not using the same license on more than 1 PCs. Of course Windows does the same.
From the FREEWARE programs that i use, only one 1 (ONE) requires online activation. Macrium Backup Free. And i have to put up with it because i haven’t found a better free alternative.
ALL Other freeware programs that i have on my PC, do not require online activation. Because since it’s freeware, the vendors don’t care if i install it on 1,2, or 100 different machines. Now, whether they send something home during program update, is something i don’t know, but doesn’t concern me, since i do manual updates in all my software , except my antivirus. Heck, even my Opera is set on not checking automatically for program updates. And i actually use the firewall to sort out freewares that want to phone home at all costs and keep trying and trying every time (like Power Tools Lite that desperately tries to call home at each start). Although 99% of programs have a “don’t auto update” option and once you select it they don’t try to phone home anymore. Finding my own FREE firewall in the position of requiring online activation is ironic for someone with my paranoid tactics - control freak. And as i said, i don’t understand why, since earlier Comodo versions didn’t need that in order to work fine. Version .439 works without needing to phone home at all (automatic updates and submissions off, cmdagent.exe blocked from network connections).
I can assure you, that most programs (non security related too), once you check the “don’t update automatically”, don’t ever try to contact home again.
I do understand that a programmer for his own reasons may decide to introduce the online activation for the freeware too and i also understand that most people don’t mind or don’t even realise that it’s happening (happy clickers). Simply, i belong in a small minority of paranoid people and don’t like it. And as long as i can avoid it, i won’t use free firewalls that require online activation.
Need i make a list of the free firewalls that don’t require online activation? Probably all of them.
And why i hate online activations? Because exactly you don’t really KNOW what’s being sent out. Your machine’s config? Your windows Serial number? Your motherboard’s serial number? Your username? Your PC’s “name”? In Twister only when i changed hardware, i came to know that sends out my Windows account username (ex. Carl, or Bob) and machine config. I am not thrilled thinking that somewhere in China someone has my PC’s username for example. Other program as revealed in Wilder’s in tied to your copy of Windows. It allows one installation per Windows, not per machine. How that’s done? It takes your Windows ID serial ? Who knows. Fact is, they can take anything you want, you 'll never know. I consider Twister an exception in that it showed me what was about to be sent.
People got mad when Intel wanted to introduce unique CPU ID (the “scandal” was so great that Intel scrapped the project) or the fact that a site may indetify you as unique visitor, but don’t care of what is sent to software houses. Strange world, isn’t it. Heck, Twister knows i am “Carl” with the 2534958 machine ID, talk about unique ID…
I apologise if I have offended you in any way, if I did it was completely unintentional. When I said I thought you were overreacting, I meant in referrence to your comment about the toolbars:
Why does it seem more to me that they call home to report whether or not i installed the various toolbars?
It was partially bad wording on my account, I accept responsibility if any offense has come from this thread.
No offense taken. Your POV towards my comment is reasonable, since what i proposed as possible explanation was the most suspicious scenario too, that could on its turn be offensive for Comodo.
As i have more times admitted in Wilder’s i am paranoid when it comes to privacy and even software that phones home (even if it doesn’t require initial activation) without giving me any chance to do something about it.
I am not offended. I simply wanted to clarify that i am paranoid in such matters and i have my own quirk and personal dislike when it comes to online activations, which is what makes me overreact. (Yes, it’s not your average reaction, i sincerely hate online activation schemes. Last week i bought a software that in the trial version had an “activate” screen, but only after emailing the author and getting his word that the activation was offline, through a license key that i would receive. I also have a Defensewall license which i bought last December, again only after verifying with Ilya that had no ONLINE activation - it uses a personalized file key-).
As i have more times admitted in Wilder's i am paranoid when it comes to privacy and even software that phones home (even if it doesn't require initial activation) without giving me any chance to do something about it.
In your quest in securing your privacy, maybe this might interest you. It a program called "tor"
http://www.torproject.org/overview.html.en
A breif summary in quote
Tor is a network of virtual tunnels that allows people and groups to improve their privacy and security on the Internet. It also enables software developers to create new communication tools with built-in privacy features. Tor provides the foundation for a range of applications that allow organizations and individuals to share information over public networks without compromising their privacy.
Individuals use Tor to keep websites from tracking them and their family members, or to connect to news sites, instant messaging services, or the like when these are blocked by their local Internet providers. Tor’s hidden services let users publish web sites and other services without needing to reveal the location of the site. Individuals also use Tor for socially sensitive communication: chat rooms and web forums for ■■■■ and abuse survivors, or people with illnesses.
Journalists use Tor to communicate more safely with whistleblowers and dissidents. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) use Tor to allow their workers to connect to their home website while they’re in a foreign country, without notifying everybody nearby that they’re working with that organization.
Groups such as Indymedia recommend Tor for safeguarding their members’ online privacy and security. Activist groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) recommend Tor as a mechanism for maintaining civil liberties online. Corporations use Tor as a safe way to conduct competitive analysis, and to protect sensitive procurement patterns from eavesdroppers. They also use it to replace traditional VPNs, which reveal the exact amount and timing of communication. Which locations have employees working late? Which locations have employees consulting job-hunting websites? Which research divisions are communicating with the company’s patent lawyers?
A branch of the U.S. Navy uses Tor for open source intelligence gathering, and one of its teams used Tor while deployed in the Middle East recently. Law enforcement uses Tor for visiting or surveilling web sites without leaving government IP addresses in their web logs, and for security during sting operations.
The variety of people who use Tor is actually part of what makes it so secure. Tor hides you among the other users on the network, so the more populous and diverse the user base for Tor is, the more your anonymity will be protected.
Why we need Tor
Using Tor protects you against a common form of Internet surveillance known as “traffic analysis.” Traffic analysis can be used to infer who is talking to whom over a public network. Knowing the source and destination of your Internet traffic allows others to track your behavior and interests. This can impact your checkbook if, for example, an e-commerce site uses price discrimination based on your country or institution of origin. It can even threaten your job and physical safety by revealing who and where you are. For example, if you’re travelling abroad and you connect to your employer’s computers to check or send mail, you can inadvertently reveal your national origin and professional affiliation to anyone observing the network, even if the connection is encrypted.
How does traffic analysis work? Internet data packets have two parts: a data payload and a header used for routing. The data payload is whatever is being sent, whether that’s an email message, a web page, or an audio file. Even if you encrypt the data payload of your communications, traffic analysis still reveals a great deal about what you’re doing and, possibly, what you’re saying. That’s because it focuses on the header, which discloses source, destination, size, timing, and so on.
A basic problem for the privacy minded is that the recipient of your communications can see that you sent it by looking at headers. So can authorized intermediaries like Internet service providers, and sometimes unauthorized intermediaries as well. A very simple form of traffic analysis might involve sitting somewhere between sender and recipient on the network, looking at headers.
But there are also more powerful kinds of traffic analysis. Some attackers spy on multiple parts of the Internet and use sophisticated statistical techniques to track the communications patterns of many different organizations and individuals. Encryption does not help against these attackers, since it only hides the content of Internet traffic, not the headers.
Thank you my friend. I 've known Tor for years. As well as anonymizer, proxifier ,Relakks, multiproxy, anonymous remailers, encryption and the likes. But i only use them in exceptional cases nowdays, they take a toll to the connection speed and my internet habbits aren’t anything spectacular. So i am happy with a cookie and history cleanup at every time i close the browser and that’s it. Thanks though.
If you ever go back to cis there are some easy way to stop it from “dial home” ofc you know that so well… Guess you just wanna complain some (must admit that the finding in CIS installer is new to me thou…)… But all security products dial home in order to update… Some like to have some info as well about the subscription status (some even go so far that they check some info about your system, I think norton do/did that to some extent…)…
You probably knew that, but now its comodo doing it, so guess this will be the next big big conspiracy news over at wilders…
OMG DIALING HOME… FAWk, is this how to create trusstttt???
Like it always is, CCleaner, mcaffe siteadvisor has a toolbar, none care to even reflect over it… Comodo adds optional toolbar… OWWfakk Bloatttt/adware!!! Its written all over the place… People don’t wanna call it free any more…
If you are suspicious about what’s being sent perhaps you should go for a packet sniffer (as you are aware they are easy to use even for a “noob”)… 88) 88)
Well happy trashing/hating over at wilders. If you do some investigation, just guessing here, but you would see there are pay products dialling home as well… (oh noooeeess)… But that little fact I guess is easy to overlook since its wilders and comodo involved… Perhaps one day there will be a stop ruining every single thread about CIS at wilders, Just hoping here. Since its nothing that occurs with other products. :-\ :-\
Seriously don’t be biased, if dialing home is something that ALL security products do… And pretty much all are to some extent… Then jumping/trashing CIS is just plain stupid… Unless you picked up some really abnormal activities.
I hate too Online activations. And especially in Online Armor Paid.
Even it doesn’t want to start the program if you don’t activate it at first place.
I mean how stupid is that ??
I can’t tweak my settings in OA , and until i connect to internet and finish validation, my PC is without Firewall protection, and that IMO is the most important part of PC protection, and it’s vulnerable my whole PC.
In this case i must agree that online activation would be stupid in Comodo CIS/FW.
So what happen if i install Comodo while i’m offline? Does it still installs? Have anyone tried this?
I usually install all the programs, make backup with imaging program and then connect to Internet.
Comodo if this is true is bad direction.
It’s not enough that people are bashing Comodo for Ask toolbar, and for giving certificates to know malware sites, and now this?
I know that ask toolbar and sertificates has been discussed here and please don’t mention them and/or post me links for explanations or Melih manifesto, because i know everything about that.
I have been always at the side [at] Comodo when above thins happen and were discussed at other places, but with Online Activation i think is too much.
So what happen if i install Comodo while i'm offline? Does it still installs? Have anyone tried this?
I can safely tell you that it installs just fine offline. I know this because I reinstall windows every few months.
In fact, you don't need the internet to install comodo.
I hate too Online activations. And especially in Online Armor Paid.
Adobe is also pretty bad too. In fact, it phones home quite a bit. With "NOD32" it has a user name & password too. I guess some software is better then others. At least you only have to activate it once like most software :-TU
I know that it can be installed offline. I do reinstall windows too often, i know that Comodo CIS/FW can be installed offline.
But i think that this issue was raised for this build only, or the topic itself it deceptive at first place.
I’ve installed the current release and not seen that, nor heard from dev team on it.
I do know that Comodo has long used an activation/registration licensing sort of scenario (different ways at different times), and has long tried to find different ways to keep track of how many users they have. They used to send you a license key (free/lifetime) for some products to activate. They got flack over that and stopped.
Lots of free products have activation/licensing requirements, including security apps. AFAIK, it’s all so they know how many installs they have.
I’ve never received any unsolicited email from any of Comodo’s licensing, nor ever had any of their applications doing anything other than “ping” a server (so to speak); no transfer of data was ever performed (checked the traffic dumps to be sure).
I understand the dislike for the activation; hopefully Comodo is listening…
How do we measure our success?
We can’t measure downloads: cos magazines give out our downloads and we have no means of tracking. So from day 1 we have this activation that allows us to see how many installations of our product that takes place. It has always been there.
Without this, we would never know how successful giving free security has been. Thanks to this metric we have increased our spending on desktop security due to its success.
I got the activation thing the first time I installed CIS, and it’s never appeared again. However, the activation took a very long time (around 5 minutes).
Most important part: Who forgot to put at end of installation of CIS: “Do you want do scan your computer for malware” , and if answered “NO”, then , HIPS module is quiet.
I mean you guys, do you know what have you done?
Is someone at Comodo developing team hasn’t sleeped well and forgot that? Or maybe someone is on “something” ??
Or you are just testing our patience.
When i’ve installed the “NEW” .11 build, and after restart i’ve got numerous pop-ups.
Whether to allow my AV to load service after restart, or to start or something else. Or when i start burning programs, it asks me if i want to allow this program to start, to load drivers, to cancel autoplay, and the list goes on.
I think that you are geting my point.
Till now Comodo was not recommended by many for newbies because of D+, but NOW ???
I mean if average Joe user has 100 programs and he got asked about 5-10 times for every program that he wants to start, or for services or drivers that are set to load automaticly, how many pop-ups he will get
100x10 = 1000 pop-ups?
I’m asking my question for me personaly and not for someone else.
I got back to .10 build.
Try to fix thing and i can act like never happend.
O.K. About the online activation issue i can understand.
I have seen it before, and now i have thinked that is something new.
@ bequick, That is not my point .
What happens if a new user wants to switch from old firewall to Comodo CIS/FW?
That option about “do you think that you PC is clean from malware” even exists at Online Armor Firewall.
I guess this means that it’s happened very quickly in the past, and we haven’t noticed it.