Rumors about the appearance of a virus that affects only the computers of gamers, appeared back in 2018. Insiders almost constantly talked about the launch of malicious software integrated into pirated content. It is automatically unpacked on the computers of unscrupulous PC owners who decide not to pay for licensed access.
And, although the news about the possibility of infecting a computer when using torrent trackers instantly spread over the network, the warnings were just as quickly forgotten. And in vain - in 2021 The rumors have taken on a very real shape.. Cybersecurity experts have discovered and confirmed the presence of the Crackonosh miner virus, hiding in pirated copies of video games and mining the Monero currency in the background.
Games with a virus for mining
A little later, experts from the Avast laboratory, after the research, immediately identified list of five computer blockbusters, containing a virus and tools for hidden mining:
- NBA 2K19,
- Grand TheftAuto V,
- Far Cry 5,
- The Sims 4
- Fallout 4 GOTY.
It is predominantly about pirated builds (Repack) with unofficial content published on international torrent trackers with free access and without mandatory registration requirements.
A couple of weeks later, the starting list expanded even more - there was mention of other projects:
- Pro Evolution Soccer,
- Jurassic WorldEvolution,
- Euro Truck Simulator 2
- We Happy Few.
In part, the choice of scammers is obvious - many games are demanding on the system - especially on video cards and processors - and therefore are loaded by owners of sufficiently powerful computers with equipment suitable for mining. Accordingly, laptops and old - by modern standards - PCs are automatically screened out.
Who is affected by the mining virus?
Crackonosh virus, according to reports Avast Threat Labs, 2018 to 2021 year infected a little more 220 thousand computers and brought cybercriminals at least $2 million. The statistics are approximate and do not reflect the situation in the world as a whole, because the studies only concern PCs protected by Avast (Free Antivirus and Security) and do not affect systems with third-party antiviruses.
The virus is found predominantly in North and South America (USA, Brazil, Mexico are among the leaders in of the number of infected computers), Europe (Poland, Italy), UK, Philippines and India. To the Russian Federation crackonosh practically did not get there - statistics say only about 500-1000 units of PCs subject to hidden mining.
How to detect
The virus integrates into the OS imperceptibly (including in safe mode) - replaces Windows system files, deactivates some services (like Microsoft Defender and security updates), and does not appear in the list of running processes in Task Manager.
Finding Crackonosh on a PC is very problematic - cryptocurrency mining takes place in the background, and therefore cybersecurity experts recommend focusing on:
- noise of coolers (both processor and video card) due to excessive load on the equipment,
- reduced PC performance
- rising electricity bills.
How to protect yourself from a mining virus
How to proceed depends directly on the situation: sometimes even Avast is able to detect malicious software, but with a 99% probability you will have to turn to third-party tools, like Hitman Pro. A slightly more radical method is reinstalling the operating system. And it doesn’t hurt to look at the situation differently and stop ing pirated content and software from unverified sources.
If you do not have the opportunity to purchase games, but you do not want to suffer from a virus, then we recommend that you look at the projects from our Distribution. Every week we share new titles that you can pick up on Steam, EGS or GoG absolutely free.
