<s>
CNET	B-Application
Download	I-Application
(	O
originally	O
Download.com	B-Application
)	O
is	O
an	O
Internet	O
download	B-Application
directory	O
website	O
launched	O
in	O
1996	O
as	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
CNET	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
it	O
resided	O
on	O
the	O
domain	O
download.com,	O
and	O
then	O
download.com.com	O
for	O
a	O
while	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
now	O
download.cnet.com	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
domain	O
download.com	B-Application
attracted	O
at	O
least	O
113	O
million	O
visitors	O
annually	O
by	O
2008	O
according	O
to	O
a	O
Compete.com	O
study	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
offered	O
content	O
is	O
available	O
in	O
four	O
major	O
categories	O
:	O
software	O
(	O
including	O
Windows	O
,	O
Mac	O
and	O
mobile	O
)	O
,	O
music	O
,	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
videos	O
,	O
offered	O
for	O
download	B-Application
via	O
FTP	B-Protocol
from	O
com	O
's	O
servers	B-Application
or	O
third-party	O
servers	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Videos	O
are	O
streams	O
(	O
at	O
present	O
)	O
and	O
music	O
was	O
all	O
free	O
MP3	B-Application
downloads	I-Application
,	O
or	O
occasionally	O
rights-managed	O
WMAs	B-Application
or	O
streams	O
until	O
it	O
was	O
replaced	O
with	O
last.fm	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Software	O
section	O
includes	O
over	O
100,000	O
freeware	B-License
,	O
shareware	B-License
,	O
and	O
try-first	O
downloads	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Downloads	B-Application
are	O
often	O
rated	O
and	O
reviewed	O
by	O
editors	O
and	O
contain	O
a	O
summary	O
of	O
the	O
file	O
from	O
the	O
software	O
publisher	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Software	O
publishers	O
are	O
permitted	O
to	O
distribute	O
their	O
titles	O
via	O
CNET	O
's	O
Upload.com	B-Application
site	O
for	O
free	O
,	O
or	O
for	O
a	O
fee	O
structure	O
that	O
offers	O
enhancements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Up	O
until	O
2015	O
CNet	O
used	O
Spigot	O
Inc	O
to	O
monetize	O
the	O
traffic	O
to	O
download.com	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Sean	O
Murphy	O
,	O
then	O
a	O
General	O
Manager	O
at	O
CNet	O
,	O
"	O
Spigot	O
continues	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
great	O
partner	O
to	O
Download.com,	O
sharing	O
our	O
desire	O
to	O
balance	O
customer	O
experience	O
with	O
revenue.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2011	O
,	O
Download.com	B-Application
introduced	O
an	O
installation	O
manager	O
called	O
CNET	O
TechTracker	O
for	O
delivering	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
software	O
titles	O
from	O
its	O
catalog	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CNET	O
admitted	O
in	O
their	O
download	B-Application
FAQ	O
that	O
"	O
a	O
small	O
number	O
of	O
security	O
publishers	O
have	O
flagged	O
the	O
Installer	O
as	O
adware	O
or	O
a	O
potentially	O
unwanted	O
application	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
problem	O
is	O
the	O
confusion	O
between	O
the	O
content	O
offered	O
on	O
Download.com	B-Application
and	O
the	O
software	O
offered	O
by	O
the	O
original	O
authors	O
;	O
the	O
accusations	O
included	O
deception	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
copyright	O
and	O
trademark	O
violation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2014	O
,	O
The	O
Register	O
and	O
US-CERT	O
warned	O
that	O
via	O
com	O
's	O
"	O
foistware	O
"	O
,	O
an	O
"	O
attacker	O
may	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
download	B-Application
and	O
execute	O
arbitrary	O
code	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
,	O
research	O
by	O
:Emsisoft	O
suggested	O
that	O
all	O
free	O
download	B-Application
portals	I-Application
bundled	O
their	O
downloads	B-Application
with	O
potentially	O
unwanted	O
software	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
Download.com	B-Application
was	O
the	O
worst	O
offender	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
study	O
done	O
by	O
How-To	O
Geek	O
in	O
2015	O
revealed	O
that	O
Download.com	B-Application
was	O
packaging	O
malware	O
inside	O
their	O
installers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
test	O
was	O
done	O
in	O
a	O
virtual	B-Architecture
machine	I-Architecture
where	O
the	O
testers	O
downloaded	B-Application
the	O
Top	O
10	O
apps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
downloads	B-Application
,	O
specifically	O
YTD	O
,	O
were	O
completely	O
blocked	O
by	O
Avast	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
study	O
done	O
by	O
How-To	O
Geek	O
in	O
2015	O
revealed	O
that	O
Download.com	B-Application
was	O
installing	O
fake	O
SSL	O
certificates	O
inside	O
their	O
installers	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
Lenovo	O
Superfish	O
certificate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
in	O
July	O
2016	O
,	O
How-To	O
Geek	O
discovered	O
that	O
Download.com	B-Application
no	O
longer	O
included	O
adware/malware	O
in	O
its	O
downloads	B-Application
and	O
that	O
its	O
Installer	O
program	O
had	O
been	O
discontinued	O
.	O
</s>
