Demand fix for Smartware Rootkit. [ Edited ]

[Crumpy]

DEMAND that WD supplies a permanent fix for the Smartware rootkit bundled with their external drives. Unfortunately for WD, there is no way they can disprove that Smartware is not a rootkit (malicious or not). This isn't the first time a major organization/corporation has plagued end consumers with a customized rootkit within a product, that is virtually impossible to get rid of, without the intervention/assistance of said organization/corporation.

Smartware IS a ROOTKIT. If you do not know what a rootkit is, use some google-fu and look at the characteristics of what a rootkit is. Every aspect of Smartware is a rookit. I cant think of a single way that it is not.

- WD has to trick you into accepting it out-of-the-box just to even use the drive for the first time. It is almost like ransomware, except we have already paid the price. Requires/uses internet access with, or without your consent/knowledge. Who knows what its actually doing when your computer is idle. It is programmed in such a way as to avoid detection and removal (stealth). It is portable, hidden, virtual disk emulation at its finest. Drives infected with smartware actually report more usable (false) space than Smartware is occupying. Most any decent AV product that has the ability, actually detects the code within Smartware, and its resulting actions, as a rootkit upon drive insertion/software installation.

This is the basic list realized by me after the first 5 minutes with my new WD Passport Essential. I'm sure the list will continue to grow as Smartware is investigated further.

Currently there is no known safe (non-destructive) method to remove Smartware without voiding your drives warranty. Hiding the Smartware VCD is not sufficient nor acceptable, as it is still resident within the drive. Contact (by any available method) Western Digital & their associated affiliates and DEMAND that they provide an adequate, permanent removal tool for their engineered Smartware rootkit NOW!

If you support Smartware, you are part of the problem.

[mattinseattle]

Why on earth do you think this is a rootkit? You start with this wild claim, and they you state that there is no way that can not prove it is a rootkit. You are setting up a no-win situation from the git go. 

A rootkit takes control of your OS at the deepest levels. There is zero evidence that this drive does this. Don't be irresponsible with accusations. 

[Crumpy]

Nobody seems to realize what smartware is. I wouldn't have purchased these new WD external drives if I had known about Smartware prior. Reading reviews didn't provide me with any insight as to this software existing. I was under the impression that I was purchasing just a normal drive in external casing from WD. I thought that if any software was included, it wasn't necessary, as it has always been common.

There are hostile, and non-hostile rootkits. Either way, a rootkit is a rootkit, if it takes control of your computer at the "deepest level" or not (which not all rootkits do). Fundamentally, a rootkit is designed to conceal something, not necessarily do any harm. A rootkit can exist at the boot, hardware, hypervisor, kernel/driver, and application levels of ANY computer, OR device component. This, just like all other documentation on rootkits, is published, and freely available on the net. You might also find, to be surprised, other "trusted" hardware/software vendors that have, or still implement rootkits within their products with or without the end users consent nor knowledge.

You want to be in denial (I am not saying you are, but it seems this way by your comment)? Its ok with me if you do not value your privacy, nor the products you purchase. However, as a person who values my privacy, and as a person who does not like rogue software hiding itself withihn products I purchase and forcing me to use it wether I like it or not -  I do. Rootkits are "Invisible Things". Smartware is concealed extremely well as a functinal program, yet its inner most core is hidden from your operating systems API (Multiplatform: Windows/MacOSX/Unix-Linux), with the inability to remove it except through the most drastic measures. This is the evidence of what it is. I do not need to make drastic accusations, Smartware is the proof. Sure you can "turn off" the primary front end by uninstalling the software & hiding the secondary front of the visible VCD (for sake of avoiding customer annoyance provided by WD), but the backend is still there (invisible). Everytime you plug the drive in, this is inherent, your OS still needs to interact with the hidden Smartware component on a driver level. This is a very plausible threat to end user privacy, and security -- since you ask WHY I think this is a rootkit, even though I thought that I listed very clear reasons WHY I think this is a rootkit in my previous post. Maybe this post is easier to visualize. Also I included very basic instruction to use google if you do not know what a rootkit is, for comparision to the claims being made. This is because it is tiresome for me to do all the work for you. You have a computer too. Put it to work for you. Either you see it, or you do not. 

[PCDoc]

Crumpy, I agree with most of your assessment.  Whether Smartware can be categorized as a rootkit or not may be debatable.  However, rootkit or not, I patently reject any software that is rammed down my throat with no option to REMOVE it completely.  I recommend backup solutions to my clients and I have, to-date, recommended WD exclusively.  I then install my own software solutions.  Now, Smartware is preinstalled, and as you have pointed out, no way to remove it.  Only the front-end can be disbaled.  THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.  I can't imagine anyone worth their salt in the technical community  putting up with this scenario.

I concur with you and join you to DEMAND that WD immediately issue a simple and quick utility to REMOVE, not just disable this worthless and invasive software from their drives.  Some marketing "genius" over there must have thought this would become a selling point for the equipment.  Instead it will alienate thousands of techs like me that actually grease the wheels for backup drive installation.  Most casual users have no concept of backup, let alone how to deal with pre-installed software like Smartware.  The bottom line of sales for these devices is not originating with end-users but with techs like us who recommend and install these as solutions. 

If you alienate techs, the WD bottom line will eventually suffer.  There are many other manufactures of good, competetively priced, reliable drives that do not make us go through hoops uninstalling or even worrying about extra crap we don't need.

[GerardKlein]

I completely concur. Root kit or not , a fix is required. I complained to WD that their horrid software was as very bad idea (called it something else really)  and that I won't buy or recommend their drives until they fixed this. Still got one drive that I was really waiting for so I put up with it, followed their procedure to "remove" the virtual CD and it is usable now. But I dread that if they finaly release a real solution, you'll need to backup the data. Don't know how i'd do that (buy another 2 TB disk just for that purpose?). 

So please WD make a fix that really removes Smartware, without touching my data...

One a more philosophical note: What where they thinking? How could somebody with halve a whit in computer engineering create such an insanely stupid piece of software? What could they possibly gain except to alienate a enormous pile of otherwise perfectly happy customers? I'm stumped, baffled, perplexed at the galactic stupidity of Smartware...

So readers beware: my advice is to not buy disks that involve Smartware.

[Givmeabrek]

If it makes you feel any better you are not alone. 

I would never buy a drive with this "smart" software again.  After wasting hours on it I disabled it and am using Windows 7 backup.  Much better. 

[jasinviso]

I'm not a tech geek, but I too would like to add my support behind completely removing this thing.  I followed the direction on the website precisely, and it still keep loading something and messing around with my computer.  I loved WD drives before this, this doesn't make any sense.  I never thought I would join a computer forum, but here we are, please fix this WD, before you lose more customers.

[GerardKlein]

@jasinviso There you have it. I just don't get why they do it in this way. It agrevates users - even so much that it makes them vocal about their frustrations. Just like you and also this REVIEW SmartWare and My Book Studio. http://community.wdc.com/t5/forums/forumtopicpage/board-id/mybook_mac/thread-id/5 

I fail to see what WD could be gaining from this.

Best for them would be to acknowledge (saying sorry is so much smarter than keeping mute) and make a proper fix.

[ohiofirst]

I've gotta fall in line with the rootkit crowd.  We can parse words all day, but they are essentially using the same technology / entry vectors that we see with malware.  Not to be a complete shill about things, but whoever made the call to force their software on to user's PC's should really be in another line of work.

I had originally purchsed my "Smartware Enabled" drive for my mom, but had to end up keeping it after it crushed her PC's performance, and created a lot of confusion with the cd partition.  It's not really practical for me to talk her though firmware updates, registry hacks, etc.  I had to keep her drive, and buy her a (likely inferior) drive from a competitor just so she had something that works.

They need to fix this in a hurry before people start thinking of Western Digital products in the same way they do about Nero (aka you want to burn CD's and they install 50 unwanted media player services on your PC).

[phsshp]

Has anybody come up with a cookbook for removing SmartWare?  I am looking for a list of things to do, like delete the following files, reset the following registry entries (WIndows 7), remove the following configuration settings...

I am not looking for a program, just a list of what to do to clean up my system...