[R] malware reported by antivirus on R Windows .exe file

Paulo Barata
Mon, 04 Jun 2018 22:03:51 -0000

Dear R-list members,

This is just to make a report: Today, 04 June 2018, I attempted to
download R-3.5.0 Patched build for Windows (a .exe file) from the
Austria CRAN https site. My antivirus software, AVG Internet Security
with all the latest updates, aborted the connection, saying that some
malware was found - please see the attached Figure 1.

I went then to the CRAN mirror at Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, and was able to download the .exe file. I immediately
asked the AVG software to scan the file; it found something suspicious
and sent the file for analysis in their labs. Some hours later, AVG said
that the file was malicious, and sent it to quarantine; I am not able to
figure out which kind of malware was supposed to exist in the file -
please see the attached Figure 2.

Yesterday I was also not able to download the .exe file from the Austria
CRAN site, for the same reason.

I am not able to evaluate the technical corretness of AVG's decisions. I
am only reporting what happened.

Paulo Barata

(Rio de Janeiro - Brazil)


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