sailor
Merry Whatever ..R.I.P. dadkins
Premium
join:2003-10-21
Long Island
|  Is installing a Coupon Printer safe?
I want to try a vitamin by One-A-Day. I went to their website to see if they had any coupons and they did for a dollar off. But when I went to print the coupon it tells me I need to install a 'coupon printer'.... 
»bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqn···gqfswSYe
Is this thing safe? I am not much on coupons but have printed coupons before ( Best Buy etc) and never was told I need to install something.
Thanks |
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MrFixit1
join:1999-11-26
Madison, WI
2 edits | Not willing to say if it is safe or not , but one thing makes me wonder .
That page has a nice link ( why ) that should explain their reasoning . And what do we find on clicking the link ?
"The system cannot find the file specified."
Yeah
OK went in naked with IE , now can read the explanation .
Not too fond of sites that do that .
"The Coupon Printer allows us to offer you this coupon. You should know that:
It Is Anonymous
The Coupon Printer does not gather or ask for any personal information about you or your computer.
The Coupon Printer does not report any information about your Internet use. It is only used for coupon printing.
It Is Secure
The Coupon Printer is an industry-standard ActiveX control or Internet Plugin.
The Coupon Printer provides security features that are needed to provide you with a real coupon you can use in a store.
The Coupon Printer provides encryption to make sure that your privacy is protected.
It Is Trusted
The Coupon Printer is provided by Coupons, Inc., the industry leader in secure online coupon promotions.
Coupons, Inc. is our trusted partner, and provides services to many large companies. "
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EGeezer
Summertime -
Premium
join:2002-08-04
Country!
 ·Callcentric
 ·RoadRunner Cable
·AT&T CallVantage
| reply to sailor
I don't know if it's safe or not.
That being said, I've printed lots of coupons from sites without having to install any Active-X or other add-on crap, and would not do so at sites that require me to install stuff on my PC just to print a coupon.
--
Mayors of New York come from nowhere and go nowhere.
Wallace Sayre (apparently, so do governors... ) |
|
bcastner
Premium,VIP,MVM
join:2002-09-25
Chevy Chase, MD
clubs: 
 ·Verizon Online DSL
1 edit | reply to sailor
I vote with EGeezer on this one.
If it wants a brand new Active-X control to be installed, the decision is to pass.
Contact Bayer (1-a-day) directly, and express your concerns. There is a place on their website to do so:
»www.one-a-day.com/
Include a direct reference to this thread. That will most certainly raise the interest level, as Bayer I am sure would like all to know whether sites promoting coupons for their products are conducting this in a safe and secure manner.
Please let us know the results. For all we know the site you visited is not authorized to produce coupons; or is perfectly safe; or they appreciate your security concerns.
Most of these large companies are not that completely faceless. I would be very surprised if they did not respond to your concerns in an affirmative way, fairly quickly, and in a positive way.
Let us know how it sorts for you in the end.
--
============
MS-MVP 2004 - -2008, ASAP Member
Users Helping Users
|
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dsilvers
@gvtc.com
 from:
EGeezer 
| reply to sailor
One hit at Jotti:
File: couponprinter.exe
Status:
INFECTED/MALWARE
MD5: faeaeff7bdf57cc69075d0ca01afc1c9
Packers detected:
-
Bit9 reports: Not analyzed yet (more info)
Scanner results
Scan taken on 28 Mar 2008 00:35:57 (GMT)
A-Squared Found nothing
AntiVir Found nothing
ArcaVir Found nothing
Avast Found nothing
AVG Antivirus Found nothing
BitDefender Found nothing
ClamAV Found nothing
CPsecure Found nothing
Dr.Web Found Adware.Coupons.origin
F-Prot Antivirus Found nothing
F-Secure Anti-Virus Found nothing
Fortinet Found nothing
Kaspersky Anti-Virus Found nothing
NOD32 Found nothing
Norman Virus Control Found nothing
Panda Antivirus Found nothing
Rising Antivirus Found nothing
Sophos Antivirus Found nothing
VirusBuster Found nothing
VBA32 Found nothing
I started cuponpriter.exe sandboxed and got as far as the EULA where it states the keys will not be removed if you uninstall the cupon printer. I have no idea what their keys do. At this point I terminated the .exe with process explorer and cleared the sandbox. I wouldn't install this. |
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whizkid3
Premium,MVM
join:2002-02-21
Queens, NY | reply to sailor
Most people like to save a dollar.
The question you should ask yourself, is a one dollar discount worth the risk?
The answer is no. |
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bcastner
Premium,VIP,MVM
join:2002-09-25
Chevy Chase, MD
clubs:
·Verizon Online DSL
1 edit | reply to dsilvers
Thank you dsilvers,
Likely the couponprinter.exe is fine, the site is fine, and the whole deal is fine. (It is the same deal offered on the Bayer site).
But it is not worth it anymore to not ask if it is Safe.
I still, as EGeezer suggested above, think that nobody should be asking anyone to install an Active-X control to print a coupon. I have printed several, but have never had to install an Active-X control to do so.
Bayer, the owners of this product, should know this raises a concern. We have to educate the "push" sides of the malware equation as well as the "pull" side to act responsibly.
I personally think it was a great question to ask, and I personally appreciate the care taken to do so.
Bill Castner
--
============
MS-MVP 2004 - -2008, ASAP Member
Users Helping Users
|
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sailor
Merry Whatever ..R.I.P. dadkins
Premium
join:2003-10-21
Long Island
| reply to sailor
I just sent them an email from their website explaining my concern about the 'coupon printer' and I also included a link to this thread. Thanks for the suggestion and for all the replies. I didn't download it and I will post here any email reply as well as they might make a reply directly here on the thread. |
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dsilvers
@gvtc.com
| reply to bcastner
Bill,
I got the download in Firefox. I had to allow scrips to get it so evidently they have more than one version. I did not try IE. I absolutely agree that both sides need an education. I got my education when someone said here take one of these its good for you. Flags should go up anytime it says free.
David Silvers |
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jaykaykay
4 Ever Young
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-13
Scottsdale, AZ
·Speakeasy
| reply to sailor
sailor...you know enough about Internet Security to ask the question in the first place. I would say that if you felt uncomfortable enough about any addition to your system than just printing a coupon, don't, plain and simple. I have printed tons of coupons, but were I asked to download anything to my system to get it, I would pass. Just my opinion, for what it's worth......... |
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EGeezer
Summertime -
Premium
join:2002-08-04
Country!
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·AT&T CallVantage
| reply to dsilvers
said by dsilvers :
One hit at Jotti:
File: couponprinter.exe
Status:
INFECTED/MALWARE
MD5: faeaeff7bdf57cc69075d0ca01afc1c9
Packers detected:
...
I started cuponpriter.exe sandboxed and got as far as the EULA where it states the keys will not be removed if you uninstall the cupon printer. I have no idea what their keys do. These pretty much seal it for me. I definitely wouldn't install it, or recommend installation. Thanks for the further tests.
BTW I don't care if they have TrustE and BBB or not - One should not need active-X controls or add-ons to print. If they want to track prints, there are other ways to track requests of print of a page. I don't need excess crap on my system.
--
Mayors of New York come from nowhere and go nowhere.
Wallace Sayre (apparently, so do governors... ) |
|
MGD
Premium,MVM
join:2002-07-31
Fort Lauderdale, FL
| said by EGeezer :....BTW I don't care if they have TrustE and BBB or not - One should not need active-X controls or add-ons to print. If they want to track prints, there are other ways to track requests of print of a page. I don't need excess crap on my system. Great call EGeezer !!
I would not let that application anywhere near a system. It may well be tracking far more than you think, or expect.
In fact, there are several issues with TrustE's certification on this matter, and raises questions about the validity of their endorsements in general.
There is an excellent article by Ben Edelman regarding that "little download", that I highly recommend reading, very informative analysis. »www.benedelman.org/news/031808-1.html
Some of his issues are:
quote:
•The Coupons.com "promo" promises that "The CouponPrinter does not gather or ask for any personal information about ... your computer." Yet my testing indicates that Coupons.com gathers detailed computer-specific information about each computer on which it is installed.
•Coupons.com's privacy policy similarly promises that "The Coupons, Inc. software ... only collect[s] information about what coupons have been printed and redeemed from your computer" -- again, directly at odds with my observation that Coupons.com collects far more information.
•Coupons.com's license agreement discloses this information collection only by admitting that the "software uses anonymous, assigned numbers and/or anonymous information about your computer or device." But the numbers at issue are not anonymous: These numbers identify a specific individual user based on the user's unique and unvarying Windows CD key, motherboard serial number, and hard drive serial number. TRUSTe rule 1.qq defines such information to be pseudonymous ("information that may correspond to a person [such as] machine ID"), while rule 1.i defines anonymous information to exclude all pseudonymous information. Coupons.com thus errs in characterizing these numbers as "anonymous." Moreover, Coupons.com errs in disclosing this data collection practice only in its license agreement; because this practice speaks to user privacy, it belongs in Coupons.com's privacy policy.
Ben also addresses Coupons.com's DMCA litigation against John Stottlemire »www.tenbucks.net/
MGD |
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sailor
Merry Whatever ..R.I.P. dadkins
Premium
join:2003-10-21
Long Island
3 edits | reply to sailor
said by sailor :I just sent them an email from their website explaining my concern about the 'coupon printer' and I also included a link to this thread. Thanks for the suggestion and for all the replies. I didn't download it and I will post here any email reply as well as they might make a reply directly here on the thread. In my email yesterday I also asked if they could send me a coupon via snail mail as I would not download that coupon printer..And nice that I will get more than a $1.00 off coupon. 
Bayer replied today within 24 hours of my sending them an email. So hopefully those in charge of website decisions after receiving the info will remove the coupon printer download.
_________
Thank you for taking the time to contact Bayer HealthCare about
ONE-A-DAY Men's
Health Formula. We appreciate your interest in Bayer HealthCare and
our
products.
In response to your email, we appreciate you taking the time to bring
this
matter to our attention. Please be assured that your comments will be
shared
with our management team. Your feedback is vital to our continuous
improvement
efforts.
Under separate cover, I will be more than happy to send you our $9.00
booklet of
money-saving coupons for most of our Bayer HealthCare products,
including
One-A-Day Vitamins. Please allow 7-10 business days for delivery via
US Mail.
If I may be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Gabrielle Trujillo
Consumer Advisor
_______ |
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CouponsInc
@pacbell.net
| reply to sailor
Thank you all for expressing your concerns. Coupons, Inc. is the leading provider of secure printable coupons for manufacturers and other coupon issuers. The Coupon Printer that you have to install a) ensures that the barcodes you print are rendered at the proper resolution so they scan properly at checkout and b) allows us to limit the number of each coupon that you can print on a given computer. This limitation is critical to our clients who need to have some control over the number of coupons they distribute, and therefore their total financial liability. Keep in mind that manufacturer coupons involve retailers giving you the discount and manufacturers reimbursing them. This differs from some of the restaurant and retail coupons given as examples above.
The Coupon Printer does not require or collect any personal information nor does it track any of your other web activities. You may be asked to register on a brand website before getting a coupon, but that information is not shared with Coupons, Inc. You can uninstall the software at any time--you'll simply have to reinstall when you print coupons again.
I believe you can reply to me via email through this forum. I will try to respond to individual questions if possible. Also please visit our Coupon Resource Center at www.printcoupons.com for more information.
Jeff Weitzman
Chief Marketing Officer
Coupons, Inc. |
|
AB
Premium
join:2006-04-04
Leesburg, VA
| said by CouponsInc :
Thank you all for expressing your concerns. Coupons, Inc. is the leading provider of secure printable coupons for manufacturers and other coupon issuers. The Coupon Printer that you have to install a) ensures that the barcodes you print are rendered at the proper resolution so they scan properly at checkout and b) allows us to limit the number of each coupon that you can print on a given computer. This limitation is critical to our clients who need to have some control over the number of coupons they distribute, and therefore their total financial liability. Keep in mind that manufacturer coupons involve retailers giving you the discount and manufacturers reimbursing them. This differs from some of the restaurant and retail coupons given as examples above.
The Coupon Printer does not require or collect any personal information nor does it track any of your other web activities. You may be asked to register on a brand website before getting a coupon, but that information is not shared with Coupons, Inc. You can uninstall the software at any time--you'll simply have to reinstall when you print coupons again.
I believe you can reply to me via email through this forum. I will try to respond to individual questions if possible. Also please visit our Coupon Resource Center at www.printcoupons.com for more information.
Jeff Weitzman
Chief Marketing Officer
Coupons, Inc. A marketing officer telling us there's nothing to concern about with the software that company wants you to install.
Knock me over with a feather.
You're concerned with coupon thievery/abuse then, is your position? Fair enough.
You may be 100% right, but pardon me if I don't simply take your word for it.
I do appreciate your taking the time to post here though, regardless.
Thank you for that.
Companies always want to collect information about what transpires between a person's individual computer and their website, yet none of that information is ever deemed 'personal' by the company.
Anytime somebody or some thing watches and logs what I do, I take it personally.
If it's not personal, then go do it with somebody else-- or don't collect it at all. 
Because when you do it with me, it's personal.
And any info you collect can easily be identified with me personally, if anybody wants to take the time to do so.
Which means what companies that do this should really be stating is 'we don't take the time or effort to identify this information with you personally'.
And just so you know-- I'm not identifying this opinion with you personally-- it's my opinion of any company or software that feels it/they need to track me in any way in order to 'enhance my user experience' or 'improve the product' or 'better serve my needs'.
A. Bargle
Privacy Nut and Tin-Foil Hat Wearing Member
DSLRreports.com |
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EGeezer
Summertime -
Premium
join:2002-08-04
Country!
·Callcentric
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·AT&T CallVantage
| reply to CouponsInc
Well, when I see independent confirmation that the reporting, installation and uninstallation issues that Ben Edelman has documented in MGD 's post above have been fixed, I may reconsider.
Until then, I'll continue to regard the program as one that fails to meet my technical, security and privacy needs and that of my associates.
--
Mayors of New York come from nowhere and go nowhere.
Wallace Sayre (apparently, so do governors... ) |
|
rawwhide
Zer0
Premium
join:2000-09-03
Zero
clubs:
·AT&T DSL Service
| reply to CouponsInc
said by CouponsInc :
The Coupon Printer that you have to install a) ensures that the barcodes you print are rendered at the proper resolution so they scan properly at checkout and b) allows us to limit the number of each coupon that you can print on a given computer. This limitation is critical to our clients who need to have some control over the number of coupons they distribute, and therefore their total financial liability.
Anyone, with any limited knowledge about computing, can bypass your limitation controls. I call BS. I think it is something more than limitation. If you truly are trying to limit the numbers then you are gullible. Anyone, even someone with NO computer smarts, can search and find methods of bypassing your limitations.
--
Tin-Foilers Union of America!!
Tin-Foilers Union Local 101... |
|
SnowyOne
Premium
join:2003-04-05
Kailua, HI
·RoadRunner Cable
 ·Clearwire Wireless
| said by rawwhide :said by CouponsInc :
The Coupon Printer that you have to install a) ensures that the barcodes you print are rendered at the proper resolution so they scan properly at checkout and b) allows us to limit the number of each coupon that you can print on a given computer. This limitation is critical to our clients who need to have some control over the number of coupons they distribute, and therefore their total financial liability.
Anyone, with any limited knowledge about computing, can bypass your limitation controls. I call BS. I think it is something more than limitation. If you truly are trying to limit the numbers then you are gullible. Anyone, even someone with NO computer smarts, can search and find methods of bypassing your limitations. Ha! That's what you think!
Try mask this data Coupons inc. collects to identify
1. The serial number of your hard drive,
2. The bios version of your motherboard,
3. The bios manufacturer of your motherboard,
4. The bios element id,
5. The windows cd key which was entered when windows was first installed on your computer,
6. The windows product id stored in your registry
7. and the windowsnt digitalproductid stored in your registry.
»www.tenbucks.net/index.cfm/2008/···ing-user
Be aware, Coupons inc. will sue to prevent this type of data from being disclosed to it's victims customers.
Shame on Bayer Health Care & Coupons inc's other clients for associating with this type of company.
I guess I could always contact every one of it's clients with a heads up & then see which ones bail & which ones prefer to continue to support this type of activity.
I guess I've got the time to take on another community service.
Memo to self: Coupons inc. |
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EGeezer
Summertime -
Premium
join:2002-08-04
Country!
1 edit | Coupons Inc has really got you goin'
Collecting the Windows Activation and serial number codes - A warez purveyor's dream, a bunch of those. |
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dave
Premium,MVM
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio
·Verizon Online DSL
 ·Verizon FIOS
3 edits | reply to CouponsInc
(I assume the anonymous poster really is Jeff Weitzman, though since he's anonymous, there's no way to verify that, nor to email him through the forum. Anyway, I here reply on the basis of that assumption.)
Thanks for coming here to talk with us. Do you have any comments on the deceptive practices of Coupons, Inc, as reported at this web site:
»www.benedelman.org/news/031808-1.html
Worse than collecting obviously personal information is the way your software apparently attempts to disguise its identity on installation. This puts it in the company of various forms of malware, and clearly distinguishes it from any good-faith implementation.
Your claim that the software can be unintalled is contradicted by Edelman's observations that various pieces are left behind, for example in the Windows directory.
For the record, Edelman is generally considered to be a reliable reporter.
--dave (Microsoft MVP, Security) |
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