If you recently installed or updated uTorrent on your PC, you may have have picked up an unwanted passenger: a Bitcoin miner called Epic Scale. That piece of code comes attached at the hip with the latest uTorrent build (version 3.4.2) and uses your computer as part of a Bitcoin farm to generate revenue for someone other than you. Users first reported the situation on uTorrent’s forums, and it was quickly confirmed by a senior support manager. He said that the app “cannot be installed without permission,” but one user pointed out that there was “never a warning about it,” even though he opted out of other bundled software.
Once it’s installed, the program will take up CPU cycles, slowing your machine and causing it to burn more power. The support person described Epic Scale as “easy to uninstall,” but that’s doesn’t seem to always be the case. It didn’t show up in the “Programs and Features” list for Windows for one user, and another said he needed anti-adware software to be rid of it. (Epic Scale said the app can be uninstalled normally, but confirmed that it leaves behind registry keys.)
uTorrent’s parent company BitTorrent said that the Epic Scale is “a great partner for us to continue to generate revenue for the company, while contributing funds to (philanthropic initiatives).” With the recent Lenovo SuperFish affair, however, users are on edge about unwanted software. One uTorrent forum user called Epic Scale’s unexpected presence “disgraceful and quite a pity,” adding “I will switch because of this.”
Filed under: Internet, Software
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Source: uTorrent (forums)