Avid Pro Tools named “most dangerous” software to search for online

The software’s popularity means searching for it could mean a run-in with hackers.

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Music Producer

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Avid Technology’s Pro Tools has been named as the “most dangerous” software to search for online in a new study.

The popular DAW is used by music industry massives such as Mark Ronson and Dr.Dre, but its popularity appears to make searches for the software “a goldmine for hackers”.

According to a study conducted by Surfshark, just over 64 per cent of search results for Avid products (Pro Tools, Media Composer, and Sibelius) contain malware. And not only did Avid software rank number one in the creative category, but it was ranked the most dangerous software overall, across all categories in the study.

Take a look at the results for the “creative category” below:

Most dangerous creative softwares to search for
Image: Surfshark

The study concludes by recommending that hopeful producers stay safe by only clicking on results from known websites when downloading trial versions, and choosing HTTPS (https://) websites over HTTP websites (http://) which guarantee an encrypted connection where your data is secure.

In September, Avid Technology unveiled Pro Tools Intro, a free version of Pro Tools alongside the new Pro Tools 2022.9. Built on the same code base as the latest full version of the software, Pro Tools Intro was designed to bring the software’s workflow to a wider user base. It provided users with eight audio tracks, eight instrument tracks and eight MIDI tracks.

Mark Ronson announced that his BBC Maestro production course, which was launched in July, covers how to use Ableton Live, Pro Tools and Logic. He said of the launch (via NME), “When I started I learnt stuff from other people, watching other people [and] being around the studio and I was lucky enough to be around some great people from The Dap-Kings to Questlove… but not everybody has that opportunity.”

He concluded, “In the beginning, I guess I was more possessive of that and if someone asked me how I made a certain sound I’d be like, ‘screw you go make your own sound!’ but now I’m excited about passing that stuff on.”

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