How the Zoom macOS installer does its job without you clicking ‘install’

Post by saagarjha » Wed, Apr 01, 2020, 5:57 AM UTC

int_19h wrote: post #292

Smoosh wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In even earlier days, applications didn't need to be installed at all. You just ran them from wherever they were . Of course, it made sense to store them somewhere together, and you could cause yourself problems if you put applications onto disks you then ejected . But the current system is clearly influenced by the UNIX underpinnings, and I'm not sure that the average user fully "gets it". though preferences files w…

You can still run them from wherever they are. The problem is that users do that once, exit, and then later forget where the app was.

Post by nextweek2 » Wed, Apr 01, 2020, 7:08 AM UTC

impendia wrote: post #44

t0mas88 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm still curious why everyone thinks Zoom "just works" while others don't. Because in an enterprise context it is often hard to download an executable and run it with sufficient permissions. While Google and Microsoft both offer a product that "just works" with only a browser. What makes Zoom more "just works" than that?

I'm a college professor, and I'll share my perspective. For one, Zoom did just work. (At least as a participant, rather than an organizer.) I tried it out, and it immediately worked. It did what all of us were expecting, with no fuss. I also tried MS Teams. It seems designed with a different philosophy: that you use the software to do many different things, and you want them all integrated. (For example, it posted my…

Post by lultimouomo » Wed, Apr 01, 2020, 7:15 AM UTC

Aachen wrote: post #254

lultimouomo wrote: post #3

I think this also shows how macOS has been training users to enter their password in random dialogs that have absolutely nothing that identifies them as being legit OS dialogs. The dialog that Zoom uses could very well be sending the credentials to a remote server, and the user would be none the wiser.

One could say the same for gksudo, UAC prompts, or the equivalent dialog on your favorite operating system, no? Or is there something on other OSes that identifies it?

Post by 8fingerlouie » Wed, Apr 01, 2020, 8:34 AM UTC

sneak wrote: post #282

enricotal wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok this is it... I was able to disinstall it with $ brew cask install zoomus $ brew cask uninstall zoomus so long and thank you for all the fish... Zoom

Presumably if you don't like Zoom's shadiness, you may not like Homebrew's bundled spyware either. Disable it with brew analytics off

Post by ddebernardy » Wed, Apr 01, 2020, 9:53 AM UTC

lonelappde wrote: post #97

factorialboy wrote: post #19

Why isn't this categorized a major Mac OS vulnerability? If Zoom abuses preinstall scripts, what's to say others aren't.

It's not a vulnerability, as the dialog says "run a program" and prompts for confirmation. It's up to the user's imagination to consider what a program can do. The prompt is terribly worded though.