Unknown entries in hosts file

Petersl

Hi everyone,

I have 2 entries in my hosts file that I don't recognize and I don't know how these where added:

54.186.110.160 geoip.pango-paas.co
18.161.97.3 1uzxr3b3jraw5nlmnvbsikiioud2vilw5.web-networking.com

What are these? Should I delete them?

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/103754/unknown-entries-in-hosts-file

The entries in your hosts file 54.186.110.160 geoip.pango-paas.co and 18.161.97.3 1uzxr3b3jraw5nlmnvbsikiioud2vilw5.web-networking.com are associated with VPN functionality, likely stemming from a service that uses Pango infrastructure. These entries support geolocation and connectivity services for VPNs and appear legitimate based on current information.

To understand the connection, it helps to know a bit of background. Hotspot Shield, a widely used VPN service, was originally developed by AnchorFree, which later rebranded to Pango Inc. Pango expanded its focus beyond VPNs to include digital privacy tools such as antivirus and identity theft protection. In 2020, Pango was acquired by Aura, a digital security company that now owns Hotspot Shield and incorporates Pango technologies into its broader privacy platform.

Bitdefender VPN is built on the Hotspot Shield infrastructure, which explains why Pango related host entries may appear in some systems. However, in my case, despite actively using Bitdefender VPN, I do not see any such host file entries added by the application. This inconsistency raises a valid question: if Bitdefender VPN utilizes Hotspot Shield’s infrastructure, why doesn’t it populate these entries universally?

Since I exclusively use Bitdefender VPN and have not installed Hotspot Shield or any other related software, the presence of these entries could indicate behaviour specific to certain installations, system configurations, or even previous software remnants.

@Alexandru_BD, do you have any thoughts or technical insight into why these entries might appear in some systems and not in others, despite using the same VPN backend?

Regards

Alexandru_BD

Hello,

I'm shedding some light here. So, those entries are legitimate, the only caveat is that they are normally put in hosts when the connection is initiated, and then deleted when it's disconnected. It can be considered a minor bug if they are not deleted after the VPN is disconnected, but it doesn't really affect anything. They are there to ensure that the connection can be made successfully, especially in locations that practice aggressive censorship.

I hope this brings more clarity on the matter.

Regards

Petersl

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/352434#Comment_352434

Hi @Alexandru_BD

I had deleted these entries from my host file and they are not reentered in the host file when connected to the bitdefender VPN.