I accidentally downloaded VLC from Softonic late at night, not realizing it was a questionable source. After running the installer through VirusTotal and Malwarebytes flagged it as pup.optional.softonic, I'm feeling paranoid that I might have compromised my laptop. Can anyone help me assess the situation?
2 Answers
No worries! PUP stands for 'potentially unwanted program,' which means it might have come along with some extra software that you didn't want. Softonic isn't the most reliable source, but you probably just ended up with some adware or unnecessary toolbars rather than anything malicious. Just keep an eye on your system.
As TechGuru88 mentioned, PUPs are usually things you can avoid by unchecking boxes during installation. For future downloads, stick to the software's official site whenever possible; third-party sites often have ads and misleading download buttons that can complicate things. Check your installed apps by going to Settings and looking for anything strange that might have been added when you installed VLC.
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