Beware Of A Notepad++ Clone Or Not?

Malicious Intent Not So Much, Just A Poorly Thought Out Fan Site

The makes of Notepad++ are sending out a warning today to avoid what they call a parasite website, which looks very similar to theirs.  The new site, notepad.plus carries branding similar to the actual site at notepad-plus-plus.org.  The lookalike site does redirect you to the official site if you click on the download link, so you are not currently at risk if you happened to install Notepad++ this morning and are not sure if you grabbed it from the right site.  That could change at any time, and Notepad++ asked Bleeping Computer to spread the word that there is also code to add a banner ad, which would be able to host malicious ads if the owners so chose.

The thing is that currently there aren’t any ads being displayed, malicious or not, and the site just seems to contain links to articles on how to use Notepad++.  As well, at the bottom you can see a note that includes the statement that “This is an unofficial fan website created for general information/educational purpose only.”.  All in all this seems to be a totally innocent site which managed to jump up in Google search results and be noticed by the official suppliers of Notepad++.  The outcry seems overblown, however it is a very good reminder to always double check the URL when downloading software as not every site is as innocent as this one.