Some places where it says you can download opera is a LIE.

[purplella]

purplella last edited by

I was trying to find Opera on web search on Yahoo, and I clicked what I thought was a trusted .org website to redownload OPERA again. THINK AGAIN!

I obtained Malware, and virus that tried to attack my driver. I managed to delete the malware and viruses restarted my pc, and when I did another software that has more viruses and traps than I can say pop up. I manage to delete it and no longer have it.

In conclusion if you try to find Opera, go to the 2nd page to find this actual website because there ARE websites saying you can download Opera here...it's a bunch of viruses and malware.

[blackbird71]

blackbird71 last edited by

A good "safe hex" rule of thumb is to ALWAYS download a desired program from the maker's own website, not from some other source. As you've discovered, those other sources can substitute malware or can bundle the desired software with all kinds of adware or unwanted other programs. When installing a downloaded program, the user is granting its installer permission to make all kinds of changes to his computer. So always be sure you know to whom you're granting such permission.

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

Opera.com is first result here (below the obvious ads box).

The situation described happens to any software unfortunately. Let's see it positively, now you know you can't trust random sites. Go to the official site of the developers to download the software you want from now on or try the Windows 10+ app store when it comes out, it might mitigate this problem quite a bit.

[leocg]

leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by

Always be sure to take extra care when installing any software in your computer, it can help avoiding the installation of undesired programs.

Don't just do the usual "Next > Next > Yes > OK", pay attention to the screens while installing something as they may "hide" some unwanted extras.

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

Does always first scanning the downloaded file help?

Also, make a quick scan right after the install.
And right after the follow-up reboot, too.

[blackbird71]

blackbird71 last edited by

Does always first scanning the downloaded file help?
Also, make a quick scan right after the install.
And right after the follow-up reboot, too.

The problem with that is not all AVs will detect adware or Potentially Unwanted Programs (PuPs) as well as they do malware - and even then, they can and do sometimes even miss a particular malware instance. Your best bet might be if you uploaded the file to VirusTotal or Jotti and scanned it there across all their AV engines before proceeding with installation. If the file you downloaded was in reality a stub installer to another piece of software still out on the Internet, you'd probably not know it from an AV scan before the install occurred - but the nasty file(s) it might then auto-download and install might be malicious. Once the trash gets on the system, if the local AV doesn't trap it immediately (and they don't always do that), the nasty-ware can download still more trash and embed itself almost hopelessly deep into the system.

If you could obtain the MD5 or similar hash for the originator's released installer file design, you could see if the downloaded file's hash matches it or if it has been altered, but good luck finding that original hash number for a typical freeware download from a distributor.

At the end of the day, your best bet is still the solid reputation of who you download the file from. Unfortunately, most of the freeware clearing houses do some degree of bundling of adware or PuPs with a sought-after download. Some of them have even been accused of bundling malware, though the difference between adware/PuPs and malware can sometimes be in the eye of the beholder. At least with downloads directly from the file creator's own site, there's traceability/accountability if it misbehaves, as well as a much lower chance of something having been added to it by a third party.

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

There is a thread in the Lounge, where we can discuss antimalware further. Like types of antivirus apps, etc.