Hackers Use Pirated Games to Inject Cryptomining Malware

GAMEFINITY.ID, Purworejo – Are you users of pirated games? If so, you should be more careful. The reason is, now hackers have used pirated games to inject cryptomining malware. It is undeniable, with the rise of cryptocurrencies, hackers also do clever things by using infected victims’ computers to mine crypto.

In a a recent report published by researchers from Avast, this malware called Crackonosh is placed in pirated games such as GTA V, PES 2021, Far Cry 5 and The Sims 4 which are available for free on torrent sites and forums.

Malware will also be installed when the victim installs the pirated game. Later, this malware will use resources from the victim’s computer to mine crypto.

Cryptomining Malware

As a result, computers infected with this malware will slow down in performance. In addition, computer components will be damaged quickly and the victim’s electricity bill will rise due to excessive use.

Worse, this malware can protect itself by removing antivirus including Windows Defender and disabling Windows Update. In fact, this malware embeds an anti-analysis system which makes this malware very difficult to detect and remove.

According to Avast, this Crackonosh malware has been circulating since June 2021 and has generated more than $2,000,000 worth of cryptocurrencies. At least 800 computers are infected every day with a total of 222,000 computers have been infected worldwide since this malware circulated.

Baca Juga

Cryptomining Malware

“Crackonosh shows that trying to get games for free can give you something you don’t expect, and we can see that this is very profitable for malware authors,” said Christopher Budd of Avast.

Previously, research from NordLocker also showed pirated games and software had helped spread malware and database theft to millions of PCs worldwide.

The point is, as long as there are still many people who use pirated games or software, things like this will continue to happen. So for those of you who are still using pirated games, it would be better to start switching to using original games, especially now that there is still a 2021 Steam Summer Sale. So there is no reason not to use original games because they are expensive.