Here's an interesting Emisoft Knowledge Base article.
Download-Wrapper. Secure download resource or a malware cesspool - How trustworthy are download portals nowadays?
I don't work for or use emisoft, and this article looks like it's about a year old...
I still insist regardless of what site we are talking about.
Why to use a third party download site when we have the OFFICIAL site available?
It seems like a no-brainer choice to me. If the real source is broken, unavailable or whatever, then we can begin to speak about other places to get it, but no other source is as reliable as the true publisher itself.
Agreed. But CNET had authoritative reviews that many relied upon so felt it safe to download from there. This made their conversion to crapware peddlers an especially bitter betrayal.
Last edited by gregrocker; 03 Mar 2013 at 23:25.
Some software vendors do not have a direct download available from their site.
Malwarebytes is one example.
Here is a quote from the MBAM forum about where to download from.
(Note: The Malwarebytes Helpdesk link is not a direct download.)
Source: MBAM PRO Download has virus at CNET site - Malwarebytes Forum (Post #3)Where can I download the latest version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware?
Thank you DavidW7ncus. The article (website) in your post #41 was great.
It was very informative and I recommend all to read. Sites like Cnet state their downloads are virus and spyware free. It does not state that they are free of all unwanted little goodies what ever name they may be called by. Just because something is not considered a virus or spyware does not mean you want it included. The adding of a unwanted Tool Bar which is not considered a virus or spyware is still not a good thing. The Tool Bar itself is not spyware but it does open the back door for spyware.
Beware of the tricky wording some sites use.
Their is no such thing as a no-brainier when it comes to downloading anything. That is exactly what the download site wants people to think or better yet not to think. Just run with the download. After all they love us all and would never do anything to harm us. Bull Droppings.
So really, an installation wrapper just comes with the download and asks if you want google toolbars, or free trials of programs. Just unwanted programs, not actual viruses, trojans or keyloggers and the likes?
This threat got me so worked up thinking the downloads were virus ridden, when it's just unwanted programs, sometimes known as malware that people don't want.
CNet actually has "Direct link" under CNet installer enabled, I don't use it to download software however I think it's a good source for news.
Here is the official link from Malwarebytes itself: Malwarebytes : Thank You!
But it's a good point. If a program don't have a real official link, then there is no choice but to download from third party sites and live with the repacked thing, or skip it altogether. I personally will have some doubts about software authors that are unable to provide an official download way. But that's another history.
Maybe they're not exactly "viruses", but not because a program isn't specifically conceived to make harm it means that you want it in your computer.
If I want to have "program A", I'll go and download it, but when installing, I want my system with "program A" only, not "program B" and "some great toolbar for IE", I just don't care about those and if I do, I would download them explicitly. The operative word here is unwanted things. Not damaging and innocuous, but not what I searched for. I, and only I, control and decide what enters my computer.
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