Anti-Virus Vendors Flag uTorrent and BitTorrent as a “Threat”, Again

upnorth

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The popular BitTorrent client uTorrent is currently being flagged as a threat by several anti-virus tools. The issue affects the desktop client as well as the Web version and the BitTorrent Mainline client. According to the anti-virus vendors, the flags were likely triggered by bundled advertisements or other unwanted software.

After the TRON acquisition, uTorrent and BitTorrent’s social media channels have been predominantly ‘crypto’ oriented. The core audience of the file-sharing clients, which still consists of millions of users, remains mostly interested in downloading and sharing files though. This is something uTorrent still does well and the same is true for the BitTorrent Mainline client. However, new users of these clients have repeatedly been warned not to use the software by several leading anti-virus vendors. In the past BitTorrent Inc. classified such warnings as false positives which it could resolve relatively easily. While that may be true, it appears that the problem is rather persistent and likely more structural than some would think.

After alarmed users reported the issue in uTorrent’s forums this week, we decided to scan the latest release for potential threats. According to VirusTotal, nine separate anti-virus vendors currently flag the software as problematic. This includes the popular Windows Defender, which labels the torrent client as a severe threat. While that sounds scary, the detailed description shows that it may include “Potentially Unwanted Software,” a term commonly used for adware. This is not the first time uTorrent has had this problem. Microsoft has flagged the torrent client in the past as well, as the dedicated Utorrent threat page shows as well. This flag was later removed, presumably after the software was updated, but now they are back in full force. Other anti-virus tools that warn users against uTorrent include Comodo, drWeb, Eset and Sophos, as the list below shows.
detectut.jpg
Any uTorrent users who receive the warning should proceed at their own risk. When we installed the most recent uTorrent we didn’t spot anything nefarious being installed but, in the past, we have noticed that the client was bundled with adware.
 
F

ForgottenSeer 823865

Add to exception, job done...
Anyway security vendors are right for once, 95% of torrenting is about downloading pirated movies, cracked softwares and keygens, which are known to be malware vectors, so normal the clients are flagged. Logical move.
You want to share legit files, you have more legit and safer ways than torrents like cloud services.
"Better ban the source of evil than its minions".
 
F

ForgottenSeer 58943

Add to exception, job done...
Anyway security vendors are right for once, 95% of torrenting is about downloading pirated movies, cracked softwares and keygens, which are known to be malware vectors, so normal the clients are flagged. Logical move.
You want to share legit files, you have more legit and safer ways than torrents like cloud services.
"Better ban the source of evil than its minions".

Exactly. This is like taking down a drug kingpin on city streets instead of the petty dealers on each corner.
 

upnorth

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F-Secure don't allow the Bittorrent mainline client being downloaded, no matter the source.

I'm not curious enough to start investigate it but, the article have some merit. Then again, I don't use torrents.
 
Last edited:

SeriousHoax

Level 47
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Mar 16, 2019
3,630
Use qBittorent. There are only a few usable clients left, most has turned into an adverts spreading with not needed settings stuffed.
Yes exactly. Just use qBittorrent and problem solved. Using it since 2015 I guess but still a lot of people don't know about it. Deluge is another good client but qBittorent is better.
 

Threadripper

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Feb 24, 2019
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Why wouldnt they? torrents are not only illegal (if you use them to download paid programs) but their downloadable files lmost always contain some sort of malware.
That's like saying it shouldn't be legal to wear clothes because some people hide things under them... Torrenting is legal and very useful, especially when I need to download a big ISO for example.
 

koloveli

Level 4
Well-known
Sep 13, 2012
191
1. tags not safe!?
2. disk in 100%...
3. I migrated to free download manager
 

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