So, how is the average person to know what is safe to download and what is not? Unfortunately, it’s becoming harder to do. All of these are merely examples of apps downloaded directly from the developer’s site that are installing adware or junkware payloads. The music library organization app TuneUp, which has been implicated in the installation of adware in the past, is currently also installing Spigot. The popular torrent apps µTorrent and Vuze currently install the Spigot adware. Fans of the MPlayerX video player have to contend with an official installer that installs adware and junkware. For example, at one point, the Avast anti-virus software included an adware component that was turned on by default. Currently, it installs MacKeeper along with the infamous PremierOpinion spyware.įileZilla, unfortunately, is not alone.
Last month, FileZilla was installing the junkware app MacKeeper and a variant of the InstallCore adware. The official FileZilla download, from the official FileZilla site, has been known to install adware for some time. Consider, for example, the case of the formerly popular FTP client FileZilla. You should never download from piracy sites (like PirateBay) or illegal torrents, which are not only illegal and unethical, but are also like playing a game of Russian Roulette with your computer.īut can we necessarily trust software simply because it comes directly from the developer’s site? Unfortunately, the answer is no. You should avoid download aggregation sites (sites that try to gather lots of software downloads in one place), such as CNET’s and Softonic, which may wrap other people’s software in adware installers. If you want to download Adobe Flash Player, for example, you should only download it from Adobe’s web site.
It’s good advice, right? Well… mostly, but not entirely, unfortunately. This has been a bit of standard advice given by security people like myself when trying to help people understand what to download and what not to download. You should only download software directly from the site of the developer who created the software. June 29th, 2015 at 9:16 AM EDT, modified Is downloading from the developer’s site safe?
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