Hackers have a number of ways to make money from Internet users, and one of them is to use their computers to dig cryptocurrencies for themselves.
The creators of the malware Crackonosh did just that and supposedly made $ 2 million, infecting the computers of gamers who decided to play pirated versions of games like NBA 2K19 and GTA V.
This shows an investigation by cybersecurity experts behind the Avast antivirus software.
The company has received reports that their antivirus has disappeared from users’ computers. A familiar check leads to the detection of malware (malware), which experts call Crackonosh because of indications that the creator may be Czech.
Crackonosh is distributed along with pirated, cracked copies of popular games. When a game is installed, it replaces important Windows system files on the infected computer so that it can weaken the operating system’s defenses.
Crackonosh is also starting to search for and disable many popular antivirus programs on the device to prevent it from being detected. This makes it very difficult to detect and remove.
However, Crackonosh’s main goal is to install Monero cryptocurrency mining software (XMR).
It appeared in 2014, is more difficult to track and this makes it popular among cybercriminals, writes TechSpot.
Unbeknownst to the user, the malware-infected computer is used to dig up the cryptocurrency for the benefit of the creator (s) of Crackonosh. This leads to a slowdown of the machine, harassment of the hardware components and a higher electricity bill.
By downloading a pirated version of GTA V and other games, gamers have provided their machines to hackers to dig cryptocurrency with them.
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Avast’s investigation showed payments for 9,000 XMR. Their calculations show that the creators of the malware at current rates have spent $ 2 million on the backs of pirate gamers.
According to the online security company, more than 220,000 unique devices worldwide have been affected since December 2020. The peak was last December, but even in May this year. about a thousand devices were infected daily.
Judging by the map that Avast shows, Bulgaria is among the least affected countries. In the Philippines, for example, more than 18,000 devices are infected, in Brazil – 16,000, in India – 13,000, in Poland – 12,000, and in the United States – more than 11,000.
The list of pirated versions of popular games in which Crackonosh has been detected includes those of NBA 2K19, Grand Theft Auto 5, Far Cry 5, The Sims 4 Seasons, Euro Truck Simulator 2, The Sims 4, Jurassic World Evolution, Fallout 4 GOTY, Call of Cthulhu и Pro Evolution Soccer 2018.
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This is far from the first such case.
NordLocker reported another piracy problem earlier this month after a hacker group mistakenly uncovered stolen data. An analysis of the find by cybersecurity experts found that 3.2 million Windows devices were infected with a Trojan horse through cracked versions of games.
As a result, nearly 1.2 TB of data was stolen, including email addresses, login information and documents. This happened between 2018 and 2020.
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