One of the advantages of downloading files from Bit Torrent was that you knew the spyware companies had not gotten their dirty paws on this network. Unlike Kazaa which has become a main-source for AdWare on many windows machines, Bit Torrent lived in relative ambiguity. But is growing popularity as a p2p network has started to get the wrong sort of attraction.
VitalSecurity.org security researcher Chris Boyd has been tracking these developments closely and has discovered that many music, television and other videos are being bundles with Aurora adware program made by Direct Revenue, which pleads innocence and blames a rogue affiliate. Like we can believe an adware maker. Apparently, the same affiliate is distributing adware from 180 Solutions. (These type of companies, once seen as great investments by VCs have become hot potatoes, and many VC firms are scrambling to hide their investments, as per Silicon Beat.)
The so called rogue affiliate is a company innocently called, Marketing Metrix Group. The domain of the company is registered to someone in Vancouver, Canada. The website has strangely vanished from the web, but folks at eWeek were able to corral some details off the site. The company lists PartyPoker.com and Hotbar.com as its clients. Direct Revenue has admitted that it was using MMG to push the Aurora software. Direct Revenue chief technology officer Daniel Doman is the former director of engineering at Doubleclick. Direct Revenue says it has pulled the plug on MMG. Only a matter of time before a new rogue affiliate pops up.
Note: the official bittorrent clients (from Bram Cohen) and the top tier GLP derivatives (Azureus) DO NOT incorporate ad/spyware into their products. Some third-tier losers may foist spyware on their users, but they are a distinct minority. Only go to the original websites to get the clients, not through suspicious third-party sites. (CNet is OK).
180 Solutions are zangocash previously known as loudcash.
it’s a miracle how they survive, they’ve been sued several times