A week in security (June 8 – June 14)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Stolen iPhones could soon be worth a lot less to thieves Fake verification pages are stealing Steam accounts from players Google can be liable for false AI Overviews, court rules VRChat says reported data breach never happened Children’s phones must block nude imag...

Pirated PC games are delivering password-stealing malware

A new Windows malware campaign hides inside pirated PC games and modified installers for franchises like Far Cry, Need for Speed, FIFA, and Assassin’s Creed. Researchers estimate that more than 400,000 devices worldwide have been infected, with around 30,000 users in the US. The infection method ...

The game is over: when “free” comes at too high a price. What we know about RenEngine

We often describe cases of malware distribution under the guise of game cheats and pirated software. Sometimes such methods are used to spread complex malware that employs advanced techniques and sophisticated infection chains. In February 2026, researchers from Howler Cell announced the discover...

Researchers Warn of New Variants of ChromeLoader Browser in the Wild

By Deeba Ahmed ChromeLoader malware is spread through pirated games, malicious QR codes, and cracked software that hijacks the victims web… This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: Researchers Warn of New Variants of ChromeLoader Browser in the Wild...

ChromeLoader Browser Malware Spreading Via Pirated Games and QR Codes

By Waqas A new malvertising campaign has emerged in which ChromeLoader malware is being used to hijack browsers and steal… This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: ChromeLoader Browser Malware Spreading Via Pirated Games and QR Codes...

New malware in pirated games disables Windows Updates, Defender

By Waqas Dubbed Crackonosh by researchers; the malware uses the victim's computer resources to mine cryptocurrencies for its developers. This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: New malware in pirated games disables Windows Updates, Defender...

Hackers Crack Pirated Games with Cryptojacking Malware

A new Monero cryptojacking malware distributed via “cracked” versions of popular online games is wiping out antivirus programs AVs and surreptitiously mining cryptocurrency in more than a dozen countries, researchers have found. Dubbed “Crackonosh,” the malware — which has been active since June...

PlayStation: Use-After-Free In IPV6_2292PKTOPTIONS leading To Arbitrary Kernel R/W Primitives

Summary Due to missing locks in option IPV62292PKTOPTIONS of setsockopt , it is possible to race and free the struct ip6pktopts buffer, while it is being handled by ip6setpktopt. This structure contains pointers ip6popktinfo that can be hijacked to obtain arbitrary kernel R/W primitives. As a...

Nintendo Switch Hacked to Run Pirated Games

By Waqas There is no doubt about the fact that Nintendo Switch This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: Nintendo Switch Hacked to Run Pirated Games...

Windows 10 Remotely Disables Pirated Games and illegal Hardware

If you are one of those 70 Million users who have upgraded their systems to the newest Windows 10 operating system, Microsoft could be scanning your PC for pirated games and unauthorized hardware. Almost three weeks have passed after the worldwide launch of Windows 10, Millions of users have...

90% of pirated games are infected with Malware

If you've ever been tempted to download a 'hack' for your favorite game to accelerate your progress, or to download a pirated copy of the latest title through a torrent or file-sharing site, watch out ! Anti-virus company AVG has today warns that over 90% of hacked or cracked games downloaded via...

90% of pirated games are infected with Malware

If you've ever been tempted to download a ‘hack’ for your favorite game to accelerate your progress, or to download a pirated copy of the latest title through a torrent or file-sharing site, watch out ! Anti-virus company AVG has today warns that over 90% of hacked or cracked games downloaded via...