Rapport software can break your computer
by Mark Nolan - 12:08 on 02 July 2013
Do you have an XP computer which stopped working during May/June of 2013? The symptoms are that it starts normally, then within a minute or two it crashes and restarts in a continuous loop, rendering it unusable.
This could have been caused by an update to security software called 'Rapport' which banks have been pushing on to their customers, rather than plugging security holes at their end. Most people don't remember installing Rapport, but they will have noticed its effect as it slows machines down to a crawl. Unfortunately there is nothing to connect Rapport with these computer crashes, and the company have refused to acknowledge the problem on their web site.
Here is a transcript of the correspondence between myself and Trusteer after I repaired a client's computer by removing Rapport.
Me
Your product has broken my xp pro desktop. Your website does not appear to acknowledge the problem. Please advise.
--
Trusteer
We are writing to you following our developer's investigations.
We suspect that these computer crashes were indeed related to Rapport.
Presuming that they were related to Rapport, the blue screen would have mentioned one of Rapport's drivers. If this was the case, our support team is available and would have been glad to provide assistance on this matter.
Anyhow, we have reverted the faulty update that has caused this, and were able to identify and fix the source of the issue last week.
We would like to offer you to reinstall Rapport, and continue enjoying its protection. In case you encounter any difficulties in the future, we would be glad to assist in resolving it.
--
Me
Hi, as the BSOD does not mention Rapport there may be many users who
do not know that it is your software which is causing their computers
to crash repeatedly. Therefore you need to publicise this by
acknowledging the problem on your web site.
Please let me know what action you intend to take.
--
Trusteer
Please be informed that we have notified the banks which this issue has affected and have also announced the issue on Microsoft's' blog.
As previously mentioned - the issue has since been resolved and installing Rapport on an XP machine should cause no malevolent effect whatsoever.
Please let us know if you require more information or if you encounter any issues with Rapport.
--
Me
Hi, please can you send me a link to the announcement from Trusteer on
Microsoft's blog to which you refer.
--
Trusteer
Our team has commented on the thread in the link below, announcing that a fix was released.
We also invited users who were still experiencing difficulties with Rapport to conduct a remote access session, where we could have assisted in resolving the matter.
--
Me
I am extremely disappointed at the way Trusteer is underplaying the
seriousness of this fault. You should be reaching out to XP users,
most of whom will have no idea why their computers have stopped
working. There needs to be an immediate acknowledgement on your site,
a full explanation of what caused the problem and repair instructions
in your FAQ. Are you going to do this?
--
Trusteer
I understand your frustration and concerns.
This issue affected a very small percentage of our customers and a version fix was almost immediately released.
We had posted a reply on the Microsoft forum and notified our customers (the banks) with this issue and the solution.
Since the crash message/ blue screen mentioned Rapport, users contacted us directly for an online solution using our free Support assistance which is available 24/7.
If you still believe that there are any issues with Rapport we would be glad to assist you in solving them.
I appreciate your feedback and cooperation.
--
Me
Hi, from your reply it is obvious that you do not understand
understand the points I am making.
THERE IS NO MENTION OF RAPPORT IN THE BLUE SCREEN MESSAGE.
Therefore the average user will not know they need to contact you to
repair their computer. And you have no way of telling how many people
have been affected.
Why are you refusing to acknowledge this on your site?
--
Me again
Hi, from your lack of response to my last email I conclude that you
are not willing to publicise this problem as it reflects poorly on
your organisation.
I am now writing a full report for my blog which will include a
transcript of our correspondence with your implied consent.
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