M3T4L got taken down so I had to reupload it. Sorry for the wait!
Unsafe/harmful sites to avoid.
To easily see which sites are trusted, and which are unsafe, try the FMHY SafeGuard extension, or simply add our Filterlist to your adblocker.
TIP
Scene groups do not have their own sites, so it's best to avoid anything claiming to represent one.
Untrusted Sites / Uploaders - More Complete Lists
OceanOfGames - Caught with malware multiple times
CrackingPatching - Caught with malware
xGIROx - Caught with malware
BBRepacks - Caught with malware
Seyter / Qoob - Caught with malware, tried to switch names
cracked-games - Caught with malware
Wifi4Games - Caught with malware
IGG Games / Load Games - Highly distrusted for doxxing another sites owner / 2 / 3 + allowing click hijack ads / backups
GameFabrique - IGG uploads + adware installers
SteamUnlocked - IGG / NosTeam uploads + very slow file host
game-repack - Shady fake DL buttons / 2 + they remove comments asking about it / 2
TIP
YouTube videos claiming to give away free software are nearly always scams.
GetIntoPC / GetIntoMAC - Caught with malware, responsible for countless cases of malware at this point
SadeemPC / SadeemAPK - Caught with malware multiple times
KaranPC - Caught with malware multiple times
AliTPB / AliPak / b4tman - Caught with malware multiple times
FileCR - Caught with malware multiple times
FTUApps - Caught with malware
S0ft4PC / Portable4PC - Caught with malware
CrackingCity - Caught with malware
CracksHash - Caught with malware
IGI30 - Caught with malware
4Download / Download93 - Caught with malware
MicroTech - Caught with malware
Softgozar - Caught with malware
Patoghu - Caught with malware
AsanDL - Caught with malware
MainRepo / MRepo - Caught with malware / Note that Magisk Module MRepo is unrelated
YASDL - Uploaded versions of stardock / jetbrains with malware
AllPCWorld - Uploaded KMS Matrix which is known malware
RSLOAD - Uploaded the same version of malwarebytes that got FileCR in trouble / utorrent malware
Taiwebs - Uploaded same version of stardocks, 2 that got FileCR in trouble
Pesktop - Caught with malware, sources content from FileCR, 2, has filecr logo under theirs on some apps.
Appnee - Not very careful with uploads, has multiple unsafe activators / 2
AppValley / TutuBox / Ignition - History of ddos attacks
CNET / Download.com / ZDNET / Softonic - History of adware / 2
IObit - History of Adware and shady products
TIP
Torrent aggregators pull results from multiple sites, so it's recommended to avoid using them for software and games.
Kickass Torrents - Official site is long gone, all that remain are sketchy copycats
VSTorrent - Caught with malware
uTorrent - Considered adware, pre-adware versions exist, but it's best to use open source clients
BitTorrent / BitComet - Adware
Frostwire - Adware
BitLord - Adware
Limewire - Dead for years, anything claiming to be them now should be avoided
Downloadly (video downloader) - Crypto miner
Opera (browser) - Poor privacy practices, 2 / Predatory Loan Apps
McAfee - Preinstalled Bloatware
Avast - Known for selling user data
AVG - Owned by Avast
Gen Digital / Norton - Owned by Avast
Avira - Owned by Gen Digital
CCleaner - Owned by Avast, it's best to use the built-in Windows tool or BleachBit
Private Internet Access / ExpressVPN / ZenMate / CyberGhost - Owned by adware distributor Kape
Kik (messaging app) - App used by mostly predators / scammers
Flix Vision - Malicious app that remotely enables TraffMonetizer
TLauncher (minecraft launcher) - Shady business practices / Note that TLauncher Legacy and ATLauncher are unrelated
GShade (ReShade mod) - Dev added code that can trigger unwanted reboots
TotalAV / PC Protect / Protected - Antivirus Software Scam / 2 / 3
Watchug / Watchugofficial - Scammers that pretend their domain is for sale, then just block users after they've paid