Minecraft plagued by malware spreading through game skins
2 min. read
Updated on
Share this article
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial team Read more
Over 50k Minecraft players were recently affected with malware designed to reformat their hard drives and delete system programs and backup data, according to Avast Inc.
Minecraft is one of the popular sandbox games in the world with more than 144 million sold out copies since its inception in 2009. However, Microsoft bought both Minecraft and its developer, Mojang, for an estimated $2.5 billion in 2014.
According to Helen Chiang, the new head of “Minecraft” at Microsoft in a recent interview with PopSugar, Minecraft currently has 74 million active players worldwide.
Minecraft skins are meant to redesign the player’s avatar; however, the default skin may not be sufficient for Minecraft players. Hence, the huge third-party market for Minecraft skin, with several websites offering free or premium custom Minecraft skins.
The reported malware code in question was discovered by Avast, who described that the codes were written into custom Minecraft skins.
Once the malware-infected Minecraft skins have been downloaded, the malware could potentially reformat their hard drives and delete system programs and backup data. Also, some affected Minecraft players reported getting bogus messages such as “Your ass got glued”, or “You Are Nailed, Buy A New Computer This Is A Piece Of Sh*t,”.
Microsoft responds to malware-infested skins threat
Some of the malware-infested skins were on the official Minecraft site, meaning that they were not detected on time by Minecraft developers or by Microsoft. Fortunately, Minecraft game developer, Mojang, found a permanent fix for the malware-infested skins problem thanks to Avast’s help. To avoid similar breaches, check out this guide to learn how you can stay safe on Minecraft.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has removed the infected skins from Minecraft official website. You can check out 6 best antivirus with gaming mode to stay protected even while playing Minecraft.
RELATED STORIES TO CHECK OUT:
