Hacker gamers, beware: this malware targets you

In 2021, crime doesn’t pay off if you can’t be found on Google. This is apparently what the creators of the new MosaicLoader malware family have discovered. Computer security company Bitdefender recently released a white paper detailing the new malware that tricks users into downloading it through paid ads … for pirated games.

Bitdefender claims that MosaicLoader is delivered through downloaders that victims “apparently” find when looking for pirated software such as games and other applications. It’s no secret that malware creators often target people who download pirated software, but what’s interesting about MosaicLoader is how hard it tries to avoid detection and how problematic that can be.

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“We named it MosaicLoader because of the complex internal structure which is intended to confuse malware analysts and prevent reverse engineering,” Bitdefender said in a blog post. MosaicLoader does a number of interesting things. It creates local exclusions in Windows Defender for specific file names. This attempts to prevent Microsoft’s antivirus from acting if these files start to go bad.

As we have seen time and time again with malware, MosaicLoader also mimics file information from legitimate software. It tries to obfuscate its code by creating smaller pieces of code and a shuffled execution order. Bitdefender claims that the malware also has “classic anti-debugging tricks”, such as preventing a debugger from doing its job.

Once installed on a system, MosaicLoader can wreak all kinds of havoc. This can include cookie thieves trying to hijack login sessions to gain control of some of your online accounts. Hackers entering your Facebook or Twitter seem pretty annoying, but it can turn into a much bigger deal. Malicious actors might find clues that would help them remove other accounts linked to the same person, or they might try to spread more malware by sending links from what victims think is a trusted friend.

MosaicLoader can also introduce the ever-annoying cryptocurrency miners that run in your computer’s background, siphoning off CPU cycles while you wonder why the hell your PC is suddenly so slow. The malware can also try to install back doors to allow malicious actors to enter the PC itself.

The bottom line is that MosaicLoader is not something you want on your system because it tries hard to avoid detection and can introduce all kinds of problems. The best defense is, of course, to avoid installing cracked software. These days, the risks of pirated software just aren’t worth it, especially if the code can find ways to get around your defenses.

You have alternatives to cracked software hiding sneaky malware! You can often see popular game titles for sale on Steam, GoG, or as part of a Humble Bundle. Epic gives away freebies every week. If you’re looking for a good time at no cost, check out our roundup of the best free PC games for 2021. Beyond games, we’ve also rounded up the best free software for your PC.