Malicious hackers have infected some torrents on this platform with a malware functional in Windows operating systems
Although in general this practice does not generate major drawbacks, experts in network security and ethical hacking from the International Institute of Cyber Security say that downloading a torrent involves taking some risks, as many of these files can include some undesirable element embedded in a movie or in the new album of our favorite artist.
According to a recent research, a new way of distributing malware through the use of torrent files is being practiced more and more frequently, for this, the malicious actors take advantage of the popularity of The Pirate Bay platform with the purpose of infecting as many Windows system computers as possible.
In this attack campaign, malicious users trick victims into downloading a torrent containing a shortcut with .LNK extension; after running this file, a PowerShell command is opened specially designed for Windows operating systems (it is not executable on mobile devices or GNU/Linux or macOS systems). Executing the command extracts scripts that inject malicious code into the infected system, and has the ability to replace URLs to cryptocurrency addresses and steal them, reported network security experts.
This malicious software modifies the registry keys of the infected computer to disable the protection mechanisms, such as Windows Defender, thus the threat enters without detection. The user could not detect this infection at first sight, so those who download torrent frequently should try to analyze them as best as possible and avoid infections.
According to specialists in network security, The Pirate Bay is the most widely used torrent download portal during this attack campaign, although the possibility of other platforms starting to be attacked is not ruled out.
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