I tried to download a newer version of PuTTY today, but when I went to putty.org like I usually do, I found a strange page that seems to be run by someone promoting conspiracy theories about COVID and vaccines. The website claims it has never been affiliated with the official PuTTY software, which has left me puzzled. Now I'm struggling to find a reliable site to download PuTTY. Can anyone clarify this situation?
5 Answers
Honestly, Putty.org has never been an official site for PuTTY. It's owned by Bitvise and isn't related to the software at all. If you've been using that site without checking downloads from the real one, you might have been risking your security with potentially compromised software.
If you're looking for an easier way to manage tools like PuTTY, I've found [ninite.com](http://ninite.com) super useful. You can install all the utilities you need in one go, especially after system rebuilds!
This confusion happens a lot! Check the PuTTY FAQ for more details about the situation. It's under the admin section, specifically answers A.9.1 to A.9.5. I've been using PuTTY for a long time too, and it's hard to break old habits, but going to the wrong site can really put your system at risk.
The official site for downloading PuTTY is actually [this link](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html). Putty.org is not the right place to go; it's just a redirect to Simon's official site. So, you should be able to find the correct download there without issue!
You might also consider downloading PuTTY from the Windows Store, just be sure to verify it's the legitimate version!
That’s worrying! I didn’t realize there were official statements clarifying this. I’ll definitely be more careful in future!