Pirated Starcraft Ii Related Files Contain Malware

Microsoft is cautioning all gamers, who are thinking of downloading a non-chargeable counterfeit replica of StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty, as phony files related to the game's pirated version carry malicious software. PCMag.com published this on July 28, 2010.

Reportedly, the malware-laden files arrive from different things like 'warez' websites and BitTorrent trackers that help to store the malware as well as pass it on.

Importantly, the 'Starcraft II Wings of Liberty' game has been released lately therefore it's certain that plenty of gamers will access torrents alternatively other P2P networks for file-sharing to get the game's free download. But these downloads will be infecting the gamers' computers with malware.

Security specialists Francis Tan Seng and Andrei Saygo from the Microsoft malware Protection Center (MMPC) state that there is a file dubbed "WinUpdate.exe" in 'Starcraft_II.exe' that in reality is malicious, while it has been identified as VirTool:Win32/VBInject.gen!DM. SoftPedia published this on July 28, 2010.

A general type of malicious file, 'VirTool:Win32/VBInject.gen!DM' is disguised via special techniques thus saving it from getting spotted and analyzed.

Moreover VirTool:Win32/VBInject.gen!DM is normally encoded and/or zipped while another program stores it that unlocks it before uploading. The malware possibly is inserted inside a sanitized process alternatively planted on a fresh process automatically. Different from a 'dropper,' the malevolent executable isn't treated as an individual file on the disk.

Still one more unusual file that came to the notice of security researchers is "StarCraft.2.Wings.Of.Liberty.CLONEDVD-WW TRAINER.exe," which the researchers detected as Worm:Win32/Rebhip.A. It has been found that this file can be downloaded via BitTorrent.

Further, Worm:Win32/Rebhip.A is designed to capture sensitive details like passwords of computer users through the technique of keystroke logging.

Stated Saygo, the event was monitored at MMPC, since malware authors mostly tried to exploit high-profile news, with the current one being a key instance. And indeed samples were found which posed as Starcraft associated files but were really malware. SoftPedia reported this.

Meanwhile, as a means for safeguarding themselves from the above kind of security threats, computer users are recommended that they should deploy all essential security software as well as keep them up-to-date.

Related article: Pirated Software Can Have Harmful Consequences on Company Networks

» SPAMfighter News - 8/9/2010