#Fail: Comodo’s Security Software Makes You Less Secure

You rely on security software to protect you from the evil that exists on the Internet. But what if said security software is insecure? Or worse, installs stuff that could make you insecure. Both of these scenarios have been discovered  with Comodo’s internet security software. Earlier this month, it was found that Comodo’s custom web browser, dubbed Chromodo, was horrifically thanks to terrible security settings. But now it has been discovered that when you install Comodo Anti-Virus, Comodo Firewall, or Comodo Internet Security on a Windows PC, you’ll get a program called GeekBuddy, which Comodo staff can use to carry out remote technical support on people’s PCs. Sounds legit right? It might be if the following were not true:

  • GeekBuddy installs a VNC server that has admin-level privileges on your PC
  • It is enabled by default
  • It is open to the local network
  • The VNC server had no password protection at all. Thus anyone could connect and control a system. That was fixed by enabling password protection, although the passwords were discovered to be predictable.

You can read more about this mess here and here. My advice? Make sure you’re running version 4.25.380415.167 of GeekBuddy as that solves the issue. Or better yet, remove it from your system and make it as secure as possible.

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