installCore
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| Developer(s) | IronSource |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 2009 |
| Website | www |
InstallCore (stylized as installCore) was an installation and content distribution platform created by ironSource, including a software development kit (SDK) for Windows and Mac OS X.[1] The program allowed those using it for distribution to include monetization by advertisements or charging for installation, and made its installations invisible to the user and its anti-virus software.[2]
The platform and its programs have been rated potentially unwanted programs (PUP) or potentially unwanted applications (PUA) by anti-malware product vendors since 2014,[3] and by Windows Defender Antivirus since 2015.[4]
The platform was primarily designed for efficient web-based deployment of various types of application software. As of August 2012[update], InstallCore was managing 100 million installations every month,[5] offering services for paid, unpaid, and free software by using the SDK version.[6] InstallCore was a product of ironSource, which is headquartered in Tel Aviv with offices in San Francisco, California, and Beijing, China.[7]
InstallCore was discontinued as part of a company flotation in late 2020.[8]
History
[edit]The InstallCore team introduced the first version of the SDK at the beginning of 2011.[9] The SDK was a fork of the FoxTab installer and had only basic Installation features.
The first version only includes three files: system.js, application.js, and packages.js, which support over-the-web software packages delivery and basic system modifications. The second version introduced debug capabilities, support for the different Windows versions, and web forms support; it also enabled the integration of JQuery and CSS 2.1 for better UI design.
Features
[edit]InstallCore's software development kit (SDK) is based on JavaScript and HTML 5.0.
JavaScript and HTML based user interface
[edit]Version 2.1 introduced a fully customizable design interface based on HTML, CSS, and a JavaScript SDK.[citation needed]
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" />
<!-- sdk - include here the minimum required scripts -->
<script type="text/javascript" src="sdk/debug.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="sdk/form.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<div id="irsoForm" irsoTransition="fade" irsoWidth="620" irsoHeight="380"
irsoBorderStyle="bsNone" irsoStayOnTop="true">
<div id="main">
<div id="topPanel" class="irsoDragHandle">
<div id="closeIcon" onclick="closeWindow()"></div>
<div id="TOP_TITLE" class="irsoDragHandle" style="display:none"></div>
<div id="logo" class="irsoDragHandle">Hello World!</div>
</div>
</div>
</body>
Since InstallCore version 4.10, the SDK integrated 12 fully pre-designed templates and a customization tool to create a WYSIWYG design.
Compiler make script
[edit]The InstallCore compiler program HtmlUiMaker uses a make script, shown below, in order to compile a JavaScript and HTML skin into executable installation programs.
; Example Make script - Set Parameters
[APP_MAKER]
; App_Maker parameters used to create output EXE file
SKIN="\skin"
; Set installer icon
APP_ICON="\resources\installer.ico"
RAW_EXE=Setup32.exe
COMPRESS=1
OUT_EXE=\release\%EXE_CODE%Setup_v%VI_FILE_VER%.exe
Criticism and malware classification
[edit]InstallCore and its software packages have been classified as potentially unwanted programs (PUP) or potentially unwanted applications (PUA), by anti-malware product vendors[3] and Windows Defender Antivirus[4] from 2014–2015 onwards, with many stating that it installs adware and other additional PUPs.[10] Malwarebytes identified the program as "a family of bundlers that installs more than one application on the user's computer".[11] It has been described as "crossing the line into full-blown malware" and a "nasty Trojan".[12]
Multilingual support
[edit]As of version 3.1, InstallCore fully supported both Unicode and RTL, but depended on Windows 2000 with SP 4 as a minimum requirement to accurately present the UI.[13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "ironSource's installCore launches Mac OS installer to offer comprehensive, cross-platform solution for developers". Software Developer Times. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ "Automated Malware Analysis Report".
- ^ a b "Detailed Analysis - Install Core - Adware and PUAs - Advanced Network Threat Protection | ATP from Targeted Malware Attacks and Persistent Threats | sophos.com - Threat Center". www.sophos.com. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
- ^ a b PUA:Win32/InstallCore - Windows, Mar 11 2015
- ^ "InstallCore Hits New High With 100 Million Monthly Installs". www.prnewswire.com (Press release).
- ^ "installCore Introduces Super Targeting for Freemium-Model Desktop Applications". PRWeb. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ^ Xiang, Tracey (Jun 6, 2014). "Israeli Application Distribution Service ironSource Set up Office in China to Help the Chinese Go Global". technode.
- ^ Gilead, Assaf (29 June 2021). "Giving up its cash cow paved ironSource's way to NYSE". Globes. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ "The InstallCore SDK | InstallCore – Professional installation creation platform". August 20, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-08-20.
- ^ Macgregor, Jody (14 July 2022). "Unity is merging with a company who made a malware installer". PC Gamer. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ "Adware.InstallCore". Malwarebytes Labs. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ Paul Wagenseil (May 20, 2015). "Mac Adware Trojan Can Install Anything on OS X". Tom's Guide.
- ^ "List of languages supported in Windows 2000".