Popular antivirus software company Avast has discovered a new piece of malware called Crackonosh that is hiding in free versions of popular PC games. This malware hijacks computers for use in cryptocurrency mining.

This malware is hidden deep in versions of popular games like Grand Theft Auto V, Far Cry 5, The Sims 4, and Jurassic World Evolution, as well as in various games. It should be noted that the affected versions of these games are not from legitimate sources but are pirated copies that appear on forums.

Once downloaded and installed, Crackonosh automates your computer’s processor to hijack it and use it to mine cryptocurrencies for hackers. Previous reports show that Crackonosh malware has been helping hackers collect $ 2 million in cryptocurrencies since June 2018.

We have published our latest research too #Crackonosh a #Cryptominer distributed with cracked copies of popular software, disabled #A V, has been in circulation since June 2018 and has over $ 2 million in. brought in #Monero of 222,000+ infected systems worldwide pic.twitter.com/YXwIIv60sw

– Avast Threat Labs (@AvastThreatLabs) June 24, 2021

Preliminary estimates suggest that more than 222,000 Avast users worldwide have been infected with the virus, with nearly 1,000 other devices attacked every day. These are only Avast users who were counted, the total number of infections worldwide could be significantly higher.

This is not the first time cyber criminals have targeted video games to carry out attacks. In early June, a hacking incident occurred with Steam, one of the most popular online platforms for buying copies of games. According to Akamai, cyber attacks on gamers have increased by about 350% since the Covid-19 pandemic.

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