Password Protected Binaries
Binaries are sometimes uploaded by people who password protect the volumes. This is similar to Chinese boxes that secret one box inside another. When the archive is reassembled, instead of a binary coming out, another RAR comes out with a message that a password is needed to unRAR the embedded volume. To get the password, one must go to a website where a lengthy survey or other convoluted scheme is required before the password is revealed. Funneling traffic to the website and racking up surveys makes the uploader money.
These schemes are very much disliked by the binaries community for obvious reasons. It is unwise to participate in or to visit the website of a password protected binary. It not only rewards the uploader but might also put your computer at risk of malware infection. A better idea is to avoid downloading password protected archives.
How To Detect And Avoid Downloading Password Protected Archives
While it's impossible to tell if a RAR archive is protected by simply looking at its listing in an indexing service, once the very first numbered part or "chunk" of the archive has been downloaded, detection of a password requirement is possible. Pause the newsreader momentarily, and double-check that the downloaded chunk ends in .rar (not .exe), then click it. This will trigger open your RAR program, showing you what the archive contains. If the window reveals the intended file with the proper extension (for example in the image below), the archive is good. Close the RAR window and resume downloading the archive.
If, however, the window reveals a further RAR file along with either a "password.txt" file or "clickhere.html" file as follows, then the archive is password protected.
The "password.txt" file contains a link to a website, not a password. Close the RAR window, delete the paused archive from the newsreader queue, and look for an alternate file to download.
In some cases clicking on the first chunk might reveal a directory or folder tree. Double-click on the folder and any subsequent folders to drill down to the file(s). If a binary is nested in the folders, great. Resume the download. If a RAR is nested in the folders, you have a password protected archive.
Since RAR archives are typically uploaded in 15MB-50MB chunks, checking the first chunk to see what the archive contains can potentially save gigabytes of bandwidth. It might be a little inconvenient, but the payoff of avoiding wasted time downloading password protected binaries is worth the few moments it takes.
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