The downloaded information will include the offer text, links to files that should be downloaded, and images that should be displayed as part of the offer.ĭuring the installation process, the installer will then display an offer and ask if the user would like to install it. When the bundled version of the FileZilla installer is executed it will connect to the web site and download a list of offers to show the user. So what really happens when you install the bundled version of FileZilla? 'While the offer-enabled installer is our primary download link, we at the same place also link to a page containing all installers without offers. This is mentioned on both the website and in the installer as well, before any offers are shown,' Kosse further told BleepingComputer. 'We do not hide the fact that offers are shown during the installation. 'It has allowed us to boost the development process so that we can now release a new version bringing bugfixes and new features almost every month.' 'In order to support the continuous development of FileZilla, we started to bundle third party offer in the installer about five years ago,' FileZilla author Tim Kosse told BleepingComputer. VirusTotal Detects for the Bundled InstallerĪccording to FileZilla author Tim Kosse, these monetized installers have been in use for five years. The clean version, on the other hand, has 0/68 detections. For example, the bundled installer has a 8/68 detections on VirusTotal, with most detecting it as an adware installer. There is also a stark contrast between the installers in terms of how they are detected by antivirus vendors. If you download FileZilla from the main site and it includes the word 'bundled' then you will be presented with offers. The key word that indicates whether the installer will display offers is the word 'bundled'. FileZilla also offers a download that does not provide offers at this page and will be named similar to FileZilla_3.34.0_win64-setup.exe. The main promoted download is the one that pushes offers and is named in a format similar to FileZilla_3.34.0_win64-setup_bundled.exe. When downloading installers for FileZilla, the web site contains two different downloads. These detections are caused by the installer, which is monetized to display offers to users as they install the software.

Over the weekend a fire storm was unleashed after users started posting on Reddit about how the installer for the popular FileZilla FTP software was being tagged as adware by VirusTotal.

Filezilla mac infection blocked