Pushbullet - spam or virus?

Roken · 2015-11-27 21:07:38

OK, let me open by saying that I've been using Linux exclusively for 7 - 8 years. I've built from source ( a full system ), and I know my way around well enough to know not to give root permissions away.

I also used Pushbullet to make my Android/desktop seamless.

So, powered on tonight, and pushbullet is spamming me to death, re-opening windows etc. It was installed in /opt. Not found with pacman, so I did the only sensible thing which was rm -r /opt/pushbullet*

It has stopped the crap, but is PB the culprit?

Trilby · 2015-11-27 21:59:56

Roken wrote:

... and pushbullet is spamming me to death, re-opening windows etc... t is PB the culprit?

Why do you ask about something you have already concluded?

If you are not sure if PB is the culprit, then describe the symptoms, not your diagnosis.

Roken · 2015-11-28 00:31:07

I ask because PushBullet has never presented a problem either on Android nor on the Linux client. I also ask because this is "out of the blue" behaviour after months. The basic starting premise being, therefore, has something gotten into my system and HiJacked PB's processes.

The symptons are all to easy and annoying. A large, browser window asking for permission with large "Allow" and "Deny" buttons, opening over and over on top of each other, the "Deny" button doing nothing. I haven't seen anything remotely like this since an infected XP desktop, and even then I had to hunt for such an infection (I used to write for TechSupportAlert as the anti-malware guy, so made a point of grabbing nasties at the time). I have never seen such behaviour on Linux (Arch or otherwise)

DarkCerberus · 2015-11-28 13:47:57

If I were you if the source code isn't available on sites such as github were you can't access the source code - then I would be wary. I did do some searches about pushbullet and several sites mention that virus checkers picked the .exe version as a deadly virus and it apparently picked it up as a virus on several popular virus checkers - did you try the linux equivalent like clamav and do a system check? If clamav picks it up as a virus then you'll probably need to reinstall archlinux and start fresh if the virus can't be removed..... And I would change your passcodes to your accounts if you use the same passcode for every site which is not safe just to be safe....

Roken · 2015-11-28 20:52:52

I use lastpass to ensure a different password everytime, and clamav has been running as a service for a while, but a manual scan gives me a clean bill of health. I use Arch exclusively, and have been using linux long enough to know not to grant root to every tom, dick, or harriet, so I figure I'm safe.

Since the rm exercise, there are no more problems, so with a touch of luck, all is good.

Arch Linux

#1 2015-11-27 21:07:38

Pushbullet - spam or virus?

#2 2015-11-27 21:59:56

Re: Pushbullet - spam or virus?

#3 2015-11-28 00:31:07

Re: Pushbullet - spam or virus?

#4 2015-11-28 13:47:57

Re: Pushbullet - spam or virus?

#5 2015-11-28 20:52:52

Re: Pushbullet - spam or virus?

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