Minecraft and other very popular games are excellent vectors for malware. How to protect yourself? How to make sure that his machine is not infected?
Minecraft is addictive. Minecraft is popular. This combination means that many gamers spend hours there every day. Which is certainly good for the gaming community, but also for hackers. They see millions of potential targets for their malware there.
According to BleepingComputer, Kaspersky Lab researchers found that Minecraft accounts for 25% of malware distributed via PC video games. That’s more than double that of the second-place FIFA game, which accounts for “only”11% of malicious game traffic. The rest can be called Roblox (9.5%), Far Cry (0.4%) and Call of Duty (9%). While the majority of malware is distributed by PC games, mobile games are no exception: Minecraft still leads the way with 40%.
In most cases, problems arise due to “bootloaders”. They bypass security software quite easily and then install malware, data thieves, crypto miners, etc. Adware and trojans are also present.
How to avoid malware in Minecraft and other games
These games are not inherently dangerous to play. As long as you upload them to safe platforms and play “normally”, you have nothing to worry about. The risk comes when you start diving into more obscure components like mods, cheats and hacks.
By the way, the first piece of advice: don’t hack games. In addition to ethical considerations, bad guys take advantage of people’s desire to play for free by offering fake versions of popular games. And in the end, you install the “free”version of the game, which can be completely damaged. Hackers can also create fake blinds. Players then buy items and other upgrades from these marketplaces without paying attention. Some never offer the expected reward, others steal your billing information, etc. In general, don’t hack games.
Also, be extremely careful when installing mods. While mods are a great way to improve a PC game, while there are indeed some great developers out there, mods are not officially supported by game developers so there is no control on their part. As a result, it is very easy for hackers to offer their products as legitimate mods and force you to install malware on your machine. These mod sites themselves can be dangerous.
When installing mods, try to choose the most popular and high-rated ones. Installing a recently released mod from an unknown developer can be dangerous. If a modder asks you to disable your antivirus in order to install it, don’t do it. Often for the wrong reasons.
Also don’t forget to keep your computer and games up to date. This provides some protection against security breaches.
How to know if your computer is infected with malware
Despite all your precautions, how do you know if your computer is really infected? Watch for any strange symptoms from your computer. Does it seem heavily loaded even when it should be idle? Do links open in your browser? Windows appear for no reason?
The best option is to run a scan for the most notorious malware like Malwarebytes. This software will search your entire machine for viruses and malware. To find out if the problem is caused by third-party software, you can also start in safe mode, that is, only with Microsoft programs. You can also search for any files or applications that you would never have downloaded on your own. If you find anything suspicious, search the Internet and delete it.