Malicious actors are using SourceForge to distribute a miner and the ClipBanker Trojan while utilizing unconventional persistence techniques.
A new macOS Trojan-Proxy is riding on cracked versions of legitimate software; it relies on DNS-over-HTTPS to obtain a C&C (command and control) address.
Illegally distributed software historically has served as a way to sneak malware onto victims’ devices. Oftentimes, users are not willing to pay for software tools they need, so they go searching the Web for a “free lunch”. They are an excellent target for cybercriminals who realize that an individual looking for a cracked app will be willing to download an installer from a questionable website and disable security on their machine, and so they will be fairly easy to trick into installing malware as well.
In an ironic twist, Rockstar Games reportedly uses pirated software cracks to remove its DRM from some games they sell on Steam.
