Hackers are once again targeting users who illegally download movies and infecting their devices with malware.
This time, malware has been embedded in illegal downloads of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, according to a new blog post from cybersecurity firm ReasonLabs. As Axios reports, hackers began targeting the film on April 30th, after it was leaked in full on Twitter and then quickly removed.
Like similar campaigns, this one starts with free, illegal copies of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. While users think they have managed to download the movie for free without any consequences, a Trojan arrives on computer along with the movie.
ReasonLabs reports that the malware used in this new campaign has been used more than 150,000 times in the past to steal data and other sensitive information from victims. While it often arrives bundled with pirated movies, the malware has also been distributed with pirated software.
Once downloaded onto the user's system, the malware installs a malicious extension that is used to hijack the user's browser. It does this by granting itself sensitive browser, allowing it to take over the browser's default search bar.
Although it may seem like nothing has changed from the end-user's perspective, the malicious extension can collect all sorts of sensitive information, such as what you search for along with any passwords you have entered into your browser.
When malicious extensions are accidentally added to the Chrome Web Store, they are quickly removed by Google. However, in this case, the malicious extension is a local extension, meaning the search giant has no control over it. Therefore, it is up to you to remove it from your computer.
You can do this by clicking the three-dot menu in Chrome, going to “More tools,” and clicking “Extensions.” This will show you a list of all the extensions installed on your browser—you can remove any that you don’t remember installing yourself.
The first thing you should do to prevent your computer or smartphone from getting infected with malware is to avoid downloading movies and software illegally. In addition to harming the companies behind these products, doing so puts you and your data at risk.
Malware can also hide in files that look legitimate, so you should use the best antivirus software for Windows computer, the best antivirus software for Mac, and one of the best antivirus apps for Android for your Android smartphone. Antivirus software scans all files you download for malware and warns you when one of them might compromise your security.
As for how you can legally watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it's available today for streaming on Amazon for $29.
Information source: tomsguide.com
