Websites opening iTunes store remotely

[Sisko_is_my_captain]

This one's BS. Twice now, I've been on a website (I use FireFox) that remotely opened the iTunes client on my computer. Tell me how that can't be indicative of some sort of security risk, when a website is capable of running an application without me saying to.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Does iTunes have some kind of browser plug-in? It could easily do it that way.

I don't use iTunes so I don't know.

 

[Lindley]

Just like http:// is a protocol which your computer knows to access via a browser, Apple defines the itms:// protocol as needing to be accessed via iTunes. So if you click an itms:// link, iTunes will be opened.

 

[Sisko_is_my_captain]

The thing is, I didn't click on a link - this happened when I opened a html page and didn't click on anything else after that. The itunes website is one culprit:

EXAMPLE:
http://itunes.apple.com/app/the-cracked-reader/id351353302?mt=8