• XLE@piefed.socialBanned from community
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    1 month ago

    Better title: “make sure you’re on the official website when you’re trying to download software, even if you’ve used it before”.

    The list includes widely used tools like PowerToys, CrystalDiskMark, EasyBCD, Lively Wallpaper, and Wintoys, all cloned onto lookalike domains that in most cases rank above the real project pages on Google.

    Off the top of my head, I wouldn’t know the right domain to download CrystalDiskMark or EasyBCD, for example. It doesn’t sound like these clones are perfect replicas, but a convincingly close enough domain name with the same page contents might fool a ton of people

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Off the top of my head, I wouldn’t know the right domain to download CrystalDiskMark or EasyBCD, for example.

      The way to find out the correct domain is to go to the Wikipedia page about the software.

      But actually, the right way to do it is to install software using your Linux distro’s package manager.

    • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      1 month ago

      Yeah, this “similar enough sounding domain name” tactic is far from new, and they must just be using new SEO tricks to get their sites to surface to users, that or illegitimate ad services promoting them.

  • YaDownWitCPP@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    This is why you shouldn’t be allowed to side load apps on your computer. All apps should be vetted through the Window’s Store then all of the cyber security issues would be resolved.

    • MaggiWuerze@feddit.org
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      1 month ago

      Yeah, just like with Android or iOS… Oh wait all these stores are loaded with malware… So how about I do with MY hardware as I please and you go back to sucking corpo dick?

      • YaDownWitCPP@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        You’re just proving my point though. You should never side load from Android or iOS because they’re obviously corrupted. It should be the Windows Store across the board; plus that would break the monopoly that Apple has over iOS!

  • chrash0@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Windows users get what they deserve here. Windows gave you an app store, and you spat on it. maybe it was a bad implementation, but signed apps exist for a reason.

    • Reygle@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Boy oh boy, was it ever a bad implementation. Whoooo nelly was (is) that.
      I use PPAs in Linux and I stay clear of the AUR. Entire open source projects have added such things to Windows but Microslop still rejects doing it properly themselves. Torches and pitchforks for Redmond one day!

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Free Software package managers are good, because having somebody who knows what they’re doing curate the apps for you is helpful. “App stores” are evil, because you’ve replaced that expert with a salesperson with a vested interest in exploiting you.

      • chrash0@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        again, why do you hate yourself? do you think using Windows and holding it wrong is empowering? i don’t get it.

        trust is required somewhere. if you don’t trust Microsoft, why would you use Windows in the first place?

        • grue@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          I use Linux and have done exclusively for almost a decade, dipshit. Get some reading comprehension skills.

      • T156@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Or that perfectly legitimate software can’t be used in nefarious ways. Teamviewer, for example.