By Chris Skeldon 
For many, Brave is the only browser that can stand up to Chrome and be an alternative to surfing the Internet. This proposal builds on Google’s offering, but takes it up a notch by being more independent. Now, part of that aura collapsed when Brave was discovered to be installing services on Windows without user permission.
Like many other proposals, Brave also offers users a VPN service built into their browser. These proposals aim to ensure a simple and quick way to ensure privacy, while at the same time protecting everyone who uses this browser.
It is precisely in this aspect of Brave that a situation was discovered that many consider abnormal and a violation of privacy. Brave Firewall and its VPN offer is a paid add-on, which is activated only when the user wants it, i.e. he subscribes to the service.
The problem detected now comes from this item, where it has been discovered that the related services are installed in Windows without user consent. The discovery showed that this practice has been going on for several years and that the services were flagged to be activated manually, i.e. in exchange for a VPN subscription.
The CEO of the company associated with Brave has already done so He came out publicly Identify the problem and ensure the solution is ready soon, without setting a specific date. He also revealed that this scenario only exists on computers where the user is using an account with administrator permissions on Windows.
The solution now is to remove and reinstall Brave without administrator permissions. Another alternative is to remove the services, although this does not guarantee that in a subsequent update of the browser they will not be created again in Windows.
Although this is not a conclusive scenario, it clearly shows how any application can access sensitive areas of Windows that it should not be able to access. Meanwhile, Brave appears to have taken advantage of this scenario to prepare to expect something that most will never have access to: its VPN service, opening the door to potential problems for users.