"Researchers Warn of Self-Spreading Malware Targeting Gamers via YouTube"

People looking for game cheats on YouTube are being targeted with links to malicious password-protected archive files that install the RedLine Stealer malware and cryptocurrency miners on compromised machines. These links are being spread through YouTube videos promoting cheats and showing how to hack popular games and software. Games mentioned in the videos include APB Reloaded, CrossFire, DayZ, Farming Simulator, Farthest Frontier, and more. When a user downloads the self-extracting RAR archive, it executes RedLine Stealer, a coin miner, as well as several other binaries that allow the bundle to self-propagate. This occurs through the use of an open-source C#-based password stealer capable of extracting cookies from browsers, which the operators then use to gain unauthorized access to the victim's YouTube account and upload a video with a link to the malicious archive. When a video is successfully uploaded to YouTube, one of the archive's executables sends a message to Discord with a link to the uploaded video. The findings come as the total number of users who encountered gaming-related malware and unwanted software from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, reached nearly 385,000, with over 91,000 files distributed in the guise of games like Minecraft, Roblox, Need for Speed, Grand Theft Auto, and Call of Duty. This article continues to discuss the new malware bundle self-spreading through YouTube gaming videos.

THN reports "Researchers Warn of Self-Spreading Malware Targeting Gamers via YouTube"