Targeting pirates: Users of illegal programs are hacked

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Security researchers are currently warning that cyber criminals are increasingly trying to gain control of users' PCs via hidden software in pirated copies of image processing programs such as Adobe Photoshop and office software such as Microsoft Office. In this way, data and, in some cases, money can be stolen from victims.

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Anyone who downloads and uses pirated copies of popular software is not only at risk from a legal point of view, but also lives dangerously in other ways. Experts warn again and again that dangerous malware is hidden in the downloads, with which criminals want to get at the users' data and money.

The security researchers at Bitdefender recently uncovered a new case : In cracked versions of applications such as Microsoft Office or image processing programs such as Adobe Photoshop , software that can cause a lot of damage to the user's computer and even money in the form of crypto currency is often hidden can steal.

Pirated Media Attack: These are the actions criminals can perform

In these countries, the attacks via pirated copies have so far been detected.

Graphics: Bitdefender

The software installs what is known as a backdoor on PCs, which the attackers use to gain control of the device. The criminals can do the following:

Files on the computer can be stolen and anonymously sent to a control center via the TOR network or a BitTorrent client. To do this, the software first switches off the user's firewall

Profile data in the Firefox browser can also be extracted, for example browser history, access data and session cookies

Theft of cryptocurrency via the Monero wallet

As Bitdefender writes, it is very possible that the attackers could cause further damage, which, however, has not yet been proven.

According to a map from Bitdefender, the attacks were mainly recorded in the USA and India, but also partly in European countries such as Germany, Spain, Italy and Great Britain.

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