An analysis of the results of Popcorn Time's abandonment, the app that has transformed film piracy, has been abandoned by its developer. This has led to an increase in the vulnerability of thousands of devices that still have it installed on them. The abandonment of Popcorn Time has resulted in the installation of a fork of software called 'Time4Popcorn', which continues to act on Windows, macOS, and Android platforms.

The responsible parties have noted that this fork can be used to install and manage software with administrative privileges, facilitating therefore the activation of botnets. Eye Security, an analysis of cybersecurity, has highlighted that updating 'Time4Popcorn' could have negative effects even if it was not functioning. Additionally, the authors have noticed that using a man-in-the-middle attack could be used to identify devices where the software is located, allowing thus the creation of botnets.

The problem is that the update for 'Time4Popcorn' does not remove any file or operations, but only interrupts the update process. For Windows, the operation was executed through the Service Control Manager, while for macOS, it was executed through a shell script that blocks the update process. The decision not to interrupt the update process was considered by Eye Security as a compromise between security and effectiveness.

The author of the document emphasized that eliminating all files would have been more useful, but the option of not interrupting the update process was the only available alternative. Another important aspect is that Popcorn Time, at the time of abandonment, was still being used on many devices, pushing the developers to find more secure alternatives to protect customers. However, the situation remains uncertain as the entire issue is linked to the security of devices and the privacy policies of customers.

The investigation continues, and further verification of the consequences of this zombie army's ability on the vulnerability of thousands of devices installed on them will be necessary.