While you shouldn't download from there, viruses are actually very rare. If you know how to correctly use Modland (idk about crashforce) you'll be alright. They aren't all meshslaps/ reuploads either. Usually, they're just crap still, the crash physics are very rarely good on those mods. It's best to not use it, but the risk isn't nearly as high as everyone claims.
For a while, I used Modland to get some more real-life cars. I tested probably around 100 of them, and only once did I have something that interfered with the game. It wasn't even a virus, just made the loading screen a little strange. It went back to normal after uninstalling the faulted mod. I've only seen a few stolen or leaked mods, most of which got taken down soon after. As long as you do the following, you should be fine with Modland: - Check the reviews (at least 8 likes per 1 dislike, minimum of 8 likes before downloading). - Search the same car/mod to see if it's a reupload, the more original the better. - Check the comments, most issues will be found before you have downloaded. - (optional) Check the poster's profile. Any reuploads of the same mod are bad signs. If they have more than 20% of their mods with 3 stars or less, don't download. Too many mods is a bad sign as well, as this usually means reuploads of leaked or stolen mods. - Trust your gut. Not having a mod isn't life or death. If you feel like you shouldn't install it, then don't. Worst case scenario, you can come back a week later to see the reviews or comments. Back to the original train mod, many comments are saying that it doesn't even go onto the track. This is likely a model ripped from another game, but it doesn't seem like anyone is having issues with viruses. Since it won't be functional, I'd suggest not installing it.
As much as I wouldn't trust Modland, I also don't trust paid mods of any kind, because there have been way too many cases of paid mods implementing malware as a mean of DRM for me to ever trust any modder who has paid mods to not include this kind of unprofessionally severe type of DRM to "punish those pesky pirates". You've had Flight Sim mods that came bundled with malware as a mean of "DRM protection" and you had QuantV that came with a disk wiper as a mean of "punishing pirates". The only commercial DRM that was truly malicious was back when Sony released XCP, and even then it didn't deliberately deleted your files or broke your system. And every type of DRM that exists nowadays is only meant to make the software cease to work, and not to actually cause harm to the user's PC. Yet modders seem to have this mentality that making their DRM actually malicious is the right way to go. So, as much as I can't trust a random mod site that hosts low quality, or even pirated mods, at the same time I cannot trust a single modder who releases paid mods as there have been way too many cases of such modders getting so emotionally invested in protecting their work that they thought distributing malware, which is basically illegal in the EU and the US, was the right thing to do. Keep that in mind, because BeamNG modding community might experience a similar situation someday.
I used to download mods from modland.ru, but I didn't take any viruses... But the mods were totally trash: Most cars had Gavril Grand Marshal JBEAM, and some Covet JBEAM. I somehow lost the mods I downloaded a long time ago... --- Post updated --- I have got a mod with a trashy locomotive: DR1A 282 Note: The mod is a meshlap
it's safe if you know how to install them, but the mod will most likely suck and have stolen parts --- Post updated --- never got a virus from them, but they are 99% disappointing. the worst i got from them was loading screens getting replaced by porn but that can be deleted so it's up to you to take the risk
