Visiting the P2P File Sharing Website 1337x.to May Lead to Potentially Unwanted Programs
1337x.to is a peer-to-peer sharing website used by many individuals looking to illegally obtain all sorts of content, including software programs, music, videos, or other possibly copyright-protected material. In simpler terms, since people are trading in copyrighted material, the 1337x.to site users may potentially find themselves in legal trouble if their Internet Service Provider detects illegal activities. Engaging with this site may also put your computer at risk, as it may provide users with magnet or torrent links that may be used to distribute malware and other threats.
1337x.to leverages shady advertising networks that results in the site’s visitors being bombarded with unsolicited advertisements or redirected to third-party websites that may attempt to install potentially unwanted programs or PUPs on the user’s computer. Most of these PUPs will act either as adware or a browser hijacker and cause unwanted redirects, display countless advertising banners or pop-up ads, inject hyperlinks in the text of visited sites, or deliver other unsolicited advertising materials.
Browser hijackers that may be installed as a result of visiting 1337x.to can also modify certain settings that include the user’s default homepage, new page tab, and the default search engine to open a specific promoted website. The purpose of this activity would be to generate ad revenue for the app creators. Browser hijackers are also known to collect and read such browsing data as the user’s browser and search history, clicked URLs, IP address, and geolocation.
But another more direct danger that exists for 1337x.to visitors is of the legal variety. Downloading copyrighted content via peer-to-peer websites is illegal. 1337x.to users who are discovered to have downloaded certain movies could be targeted by lawsuits. So, a good rule of thumb is, if a software program, song, or movie that you want to download is copyrighted and a third-party site is offering it for free, STAY AWAY FROM IT!
Regarding any PUPs, adware, or browser hijackers you may have unwittingly installed due to visiting 1337x.to, scan for and remove these threats using a reputable malware remediation tool.
