Although it may seem like it, the Internet is not always as secure as it should be. Viruses, malware and harmful software abound the network regardless of the fact that it is tried to avoid, and through the downloading of programs, Windows is one of the most attacked and vulnerable operating systems due to its high popularity in the market.
That is why, especially When downloading new programs and software online, it is crucial to check the authenticity of the website that is being used, as well as paying special attention to program installers, since in many cases they can install more programs than we really need, being dangerous on certain occasions or invading privacy.
Avoid these two web pages if you are looking for new programs for your computer and you do not want problems
As we mentioned, in this case the downloads are a fundamental part of the attacks. And, specifically, in recent years it has been possible to see how more software is included through some installers than you should, generally optionally (although marked by default), in such a way that when you want to download a certain program, you end up installing something else, many times without even realizing it.
That is why we wanted to collect two of the most popular download websites that perform these practices, so that you can consciously avoid them in the future when downloading programs for Windows.
Softonic
Between advertising and user clicks, often victims, it is likely that Softonic is one of the most popular software download websites Worldwide. In fact, when looking to download a certain program, it is possible that it will reach the top positions in the most popular search engines.
The main problem with Softonic is that, despite the fact that over the years they are correcting it, sometimes When you download a certain program, a custom installer opens, which offers a multitude of additional options for software to be installed in addition to the desired program. And, worst of all, as these downloads are included by default, due to the speed with which the installation is carried out, the disregard of the fine print or the good publicity, in many cases users ended up installing additional programs that they did not want or they did not need, and that on many occasions they ended up being malicious.
Currently, due to the fall in popularity of said download page, visits to Softonic have been reduced, being used less and less. That is why companies trust it less and less and, to this day, the annoying installer hardly exists. On many occasions, Softonic redirects to the official website of the program to download, but due to its past it is still difficult to trust this website.
SourceForge
Another website to avoid is SourceForge. It is a platform especially focused on free software, to which something very similar happened to Softonic. In this case, from SourceForge they decided to also include an installer full of unnecessary additional software, something that is even worse since, on many occasions, it was even mandatory to install it to continue, in addition to the fact that the developers who used the platform could not avoid it.
In this case, in view of the discomfort and the fact that few people continued to use the platform after the inclusion of said type of installers, after a while they made the decision to finally suppress them, returning to normal. Since then, SourceForge has undergone a few redesigns and improvements.
However, although it tries to attract developers, the truth is that few continue to use it. In fact, today it is not advisable to use it because, although advertising is no longer included, the versions that include some programs are too old, jeopardizing safety.
So where can I download programs safely?
Despite not always being exempt from possible vulnerabilities or failures, the best thing to do when downloading a program is to do it from its own official website, where it is usually guaranteed to have the latest version of it and, in general, it is possible to avoid advertising and additional installations.
However, if you want to resort to collections of applications, there are also some websites that, in principle, you can continue to use today safely. Some of them are winstall, Softpedia, File Hippo, Download Crew, filehorse, Snapfiles, FossHub, Ninite o GitHub, but it all depends on the type of software to download. In the event that you can, It is usually much more advisable to download from the official website or that of the developer, or from the platforms that they themselves recommend to use.