Update: Malwarebytes responded to us on Twitter, "Hi there! I just checked with our specialists and it seems like the block has been removed".
Online security is something most internet users are concerned about these days with a large number of data breaches occurring. Anti-malware company Malwarebytes, one of the top anti-malware companies, has blocked torrent site 1337x for fraud and information theft. 1337x is not the only website to be blocked by the company with other sites being blocked for the same reasons. There has been no evidence provided by the company against the websites as of now.
1337x has passed all tests that Google conducts and also received a green signal. However, it is unknown why MalwareBytes chose to block the site. There has been no official response from the anti-malware company so far despite Malwarebytes being fairly active in the community with their discussions on security.
Despite Malwarebytes’ claims, it is recommended to install an anti-virus and anti-malware if you are active on file-sharing websites like 1337x. Ad blockers may be controversial as it blocks genuine websites from earning revenue, but lately, browsers have started implementing ad blockers internally to secure users from rogue advertisements that can initiate malware downloads or redirect to phishing websites.
According to a report, Malwarebytes blocked the IP 104.31.16.3, which is registered to Cloudflare by 1337x and is shared by over 150 websites. It is possible that all websites under the IP have been blocked by the security company and 1337x got caught in the crossfire.
According to the operator of PC Games Download, which has also been blocked citing the same reasons, that similar incidents have happened in the past with Malwarebytes. The anti-malware company actively blocks all websites that deploy rogue advertising tactics. Google will be blocking all websites that deploy such tactics in an upcoming update which may lead to 1337x being blocked by the tech giant as well if they do not change their advertising partners.
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