Most of the testing for this review was on the Betternet for Windows application. Note: I did all tests for this Betternet review inside a virtual machine, which protects my computer from getting infected from VPN malware that may be present. Surprisingly, the results came back clean. The first thing I did was test the Betternet Windows app for malware using VirusTotal. Betternet Windows VPN appĪs an update to this Betternet review, I decided to download the new apps for new tests. Fortunately, there are some good free VPNs you can consider, as noted in the ProtonVPN review. In essence, when you use a free VPN, you are usually the product. It is your data that is being collected, which is then used to monetize the free software. After collection, your data can then be sold to third parties (a very large and profitable industry) or used to hit you with targeted advertisements (which brings in commissions on sales). Malware and tracking are simply tools to collect your data, which is one way to monetize “free VPN” applications. The short answer is this: your data is valuable. Why was there malware and tracking in Betternet’s applications? These tracking libraries may be used for “analytics, tracking, or advertising purposes” and are embedded into the source code of the app. Out of the applications studied, Betternet was found to have 14 tracking libraries in their Android app alone. The same study also identified a high presence of third-party tracking libraries in Betternet’s Android app. This is why you can’t trust most ratings when looking for a good VPN service. This gave it an AV-rank of 13.ĭespite millions of installs and a good (4.3) rating, Betternet has a very high malware presence according to this research. They found that Betternet tested positive for malware by 13 different antivirus programs. Betternet apps found to contain malware and tracking librariesĪ team of academic researchers studying VPNs identified Betternet as one of the most malware-infested VPN apps in the Google Play Store. Perhaps most concerning is the fact that Betternet has been caught embedding malware and tracking libraries into their VPN apps, while promising to protect the privacy and security of its users (we’ll cover this in detail below). We will address each of these issues more below.
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