Hackers Crack Pirated Games with Cryptojacking Malware

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A new Monero cryptojacking malware distributed via “cracked” versions of popular online games is wiping out antivirus programs (AVs) and surreptitiously mining cryptocurrency in more than a dozen countries, researchers have found.
 
Dubbed “Crackonosh,” the malware — which has been active since June 2018 — lurks in pirated versions of Grand Theft Auto V, NBA 2K19 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 that gamers can download free in forums, according to a report posted online Thursday by researchers at Avast. The name means “mountain spirit” in Czech folklore, a reference to the researchers’ belief that the creators of the malware are from the Czech Republic.
 
Cracked software is a version of commercial software that is often offered for free but often with a catch — the code of the software has been tampered with, typically to insert malware or for some other purpose beneficial to whoever cracked it.
 
In the case of Crackonosh, the aim is to install the coinminer XMRig to mine Monero cryptocurrency from within the cracked software downloaded to an affected device, according to the report. So far, threat actors have reaped more than $2 million, or 9000 XMR in total, from the campaign, researchers said.
 
Crackonosh also appears to be spreading fast, affecting 222,000 unique devices in more than a dozen countries since December 2020. As of May, the malware was still getting about 1,000 hits a day, according to the report.
 
So far, the region most affected is the Philippines, with 18,448 victims; followed by Brazil (16,584); India (13,779); Poland (12,727); the United States (11,856); and the United Kingdom (8,946), researchers said.

Read more: Hackers Crack Pirated Games with Cryptojacking Malware | Threatpost