Policy & Ethics
Trust, Security & Ethical Guidelines
Our approach to legal compliance, ethical modification practices, open-source transparency, and end-user responsibility when installing community-created content.
Legal Framework
Legal Usage Policy
CurseForge distributes third-party modifications created by independent authors. Users must comply with each game's End User License Agreement at all times.
You may not use CurseForge to infringe copyright, circumvent digital rights management unlawfully, enable cheating in competitive multiplayer environments, or violate applicable laws. Always respect creator license terms.
curse-forge.net serves as an informational resource. We do not operate the CurseForge platform backend infrastructure.
Ethical Standards
Ethical Usage Statement
Modification development exists to enhance games you already own and enjoy. Ethical modding means supporting creators, reporting malicious content, and refusing unverified file shares.
- Credit mod authors when sharing screenshots, videos, or derivative modification packs
- Do not repackage paid or restricted content without explicit permission
- Avoid modifications designed to harass players or exploit game vulnerabilities
- Report suspicious uploads rather than silently redistributing them
- Use official project pages instead of pirated mirror sites
Transparency
Open-Source Transparency
CurseForge and Overwolf published open-source malware detection utilities for community audit, including JAR infection scanners deployed after the 2023 security incident.
We encourage users to review detection tooling, verify SHA-256 hashes independently, and report vulnerabilities through responsible disclosure channels.
Safety Clarification
No Malware in Official Client
The legitimate CurseForge client obtained from trusted sources is not malware. It does not harm your system or steal credentials by design.
User-generated modifications can carry risk if creator accounts are compromised or files originate from unofficial sources. The platform employs scanning, human moderation, and import warnings to mitigate these risks.
Antivirus alerts on clean files are often false positives triggered by heuristic detection engines.
Disclaimer
User Responsibility
By using CurseForge you accept responsibility for your system's security. Modifications can crash games, corrupt save files, or rarely contain harmful code.
You agree to:
- Back up save files before installing modification packs
- Verify downloads with published checksums
- Refuse files from unknown Discord or email attachments
- Review import warnings and use "CurseForge Files Only" when available
- Keep your operating system and antivirus software updated
curse-forge.net is not liable for damages resulting from mod installations or third-party content distributed through the platform.
Stay Safe While Modding
Download from trusted sources and follow our security documentation.