HandBrake is generally safe to use as long as it is downloaded from the official website or trusted sources. It is an open-source video transcoder with a good reputation, and the official releases are free from malware, viruses, or unwanted bundled software. The software itself has been considered reliable and transparent due to its open-source nature and long-term community development. There was a notable security incident in May 2017 when one of HandBrake's official mirror servers was compromised, and a trojan-infected installer was distributed for Mac users. However, this was a supply-chain attack on the distribution server, not due to the software itself having inherent malware. The issue was quickly resolved, and the compromised files were removed. To stay safe, users should:
- Download HandBrake only from the official website or the official GitHub repository.
- Verify checksums if desired.
- Be cautious about unusual installation behavior, such as unexpected permission requests.
- Keep antivirus software and the operating system updated.
In conclusion, downloading the latest version of HandBrake from the official source and following safe downloading practices ensures that HandBrake is safe to use for video conversion and DVD ripping on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
