14 DAY TRIAL // The latest version of uTorrent comes with a crypto-currency mining tool that is flagged by various antivirus products as a potentially unwanted application, sparking complaints from users.
The file-sharing program is free of charge but it monetizes by including offers to install third-party more or less useful applications to its over 150 million users.
BitTorrent says third-party installs occur with user approval
Users on uTorrent forum complained that the newest release of the software adds Epic Scale crypto-currency miner to the system without being warned of it.
Referring to the installation of uTorrent on a clean system, one user says that Epic Scale’s miner was added without his consent. “[...] then I go to install uTorrent and now I've got this EpicScale B.S. on my system - I pay very close attention when installing freeware because of garbage apps that get lumped in with installation packages. There was never a warning about it,” the user complained, while another confirmed.
However, a reply from a senior manager at BitTorrent’ customer support states that uTorrent’s installation procedure is designed so that the user is informed of third-party software, and it is not added without approval.
He claims that the action was double-checked, although multiple users on the forum insist that Epic Scale was added without information about it being displayed or approval from the user.
The tricky part is that the offers are “opt-out,” which implies consent and means that they are enabled by default during the installation process, user interaction being required to stop them from being added to the system.
It is very likely that users ended up with Epic Scale on their machines as a result of uTorrent's update operation.
Digital currency is obtained by solving complex mathematical problems, which stresses the CPU of the computer. Thus, the performance of the machine is seriously impacted in the process.
Epic Scale software is designed to use the CPU power when the machine is idle, so that full power is available when needed.
Epic Scale confirms third-party installation process
This is not new, nor is it uncommon, as many developers adopt this monetization method, which has been called into question by the users in the past. As such, if a user goes through the procedure and does not pull the break to deny bundled software, they get the entire package.
Epic Scale confirms this procedure on its FAQ page, providing an answer to those wondering how their software made it to their computers:
“Most likely, you recently downloaded or upgraded a BitTorrent client and agreed to run Epic Scale during that install process. All of our installations are opt-in [sic], but if you just clicked ‘Next, Next, Next…’ in the torrent installer, then you may not have noticed our offer page.”
Epic Scale flagged as PUP, company explains philanthropic nature
EpicScale.exe was flagged as a potentially unwanted application by 11 out of 54 antivirus engines on Virus Total more than five months ago.
In a recent scan using the same service, the detection rate is lower, with eight out of 57 security products (Avira, Avast, Comodo, NOD32 and Kaspersky among them) marking the file as a potential risk.
Epic Scale has released an official statement explaining the nature of its software and the mission it helps achieve: benefit high-impact charities and advance research science by providing affordable high-performance computation.
The company donates 100% of the profit it makes to charity (Watsi and Immunity Project), but as the company grows, the plan is to donate 75% to charities and help researchers with genomic computation problems.
The organization also stresses the fact that no spying on the users’ browsing behavior or file scanning is done by the application.
At the moment, the installation of uTorrent (3.4.2 build 38913) no longer bundles Epic Scale crypto-currency miner.
