VLC Media player, a popular media player software is banned in India and most users have no idea why. To date, the government is providing no explanation for why the VLC site is banned in the country.
A hacker organization that is tied to Beijing, recently hacked VLC Media Player using malware to access devices. It may have led to the covert ban on the site by the Indian government.
About VLC Media Player
The VideoLAN project created the VLC media player. VLC is compatible with a wide variety of audio and video file types & compression techniques, such as DVD-Video, Video CD, and streaming interfaces. It has the capability to convert multimedia files & stream them over a network. For most multimedia frameworks, VLC’s modular structure makes it simple to add support for new file formats, formats, APIs, and streaming protocols through the use of add-on modules and plugins.
Till now, all of the main ISPs in the country have officially banned the VLC Media Player. Nevertheless, any VPN service will provide accessibility to the video streaming company on a mobile device or desktop computer.
In a series of coordinated attacks across multiple nations in April, Cicada has targeted numerous prominent figures.
Symantec experts said that victims of the Cicada ransomware can be found all over the world, including India, the United States, Canada, Palestine, Hong Kong, and several other locations.
Researchers from Symantec discovered that Chinese cybercriminals utilized VLC Media Player to spread malware across infected computers.
According to a tweet from Gagandeep Sapra, the “VLC Media Player site is restricted in India under the Information Technology Act of 2000.”
Interestingly, you can still get VLC Media Player for Android from the Google Play Store. The software is currently available in the Google Play Store for Android users to download. No information has been released yet as to whether or not the restriction would also apply to the mobile version of the software.
In the meantime, you shouldn’t have any trouble running the program unless you already get the VLC Media player downloaded on your tablet, phone, or computer. If you already have the offline downloadable setup file, you can install and run the utility on a Windows laptop or desktop without needing an internet connection.
This ban on VLC Media Player remains unexplained
VLC Media Player was already blocked in India for the past five months. The site was taken down, but most people who used the great program on PC & Android probably didn’t notice because they already had the player installed.
Neither the authorities nor VLC has explained why they decided to pull the media player. Multiple sources, however, say the action was conducted because Cicada, a hacking group supported by China, utilized the software in cyber threats. According to reports, Cicada utilized VLC Media Player to spread malware to compromised computers.
