SteelFox Trojan: Malware Turns PCs Into Cryptocurrency Mining Zombies

Software piracy is a pretty bad idea. There are a lot of bad actors online who are looking to take advantage of people who want to get paid apps for free, and cracking tools are no exception. This malware infects people who are trying to avoid paying for the product, steals their personal information, and turns their computers into cryptocurrency mining zombies.

SteelFox Trojan has started appearing on pirated websites

According to Kaspersky's report on SecureList, SteelFox Trojan is a new type of malware that began appearing last August. The security company found that SteelFox mainly lurks on websites, forums, and torrent services that support software piracy:

Our investigation led us to the fact that the initial attack vector for SteelFox consisted of several different posts on forums and torrent trackers. These posts referred to the SteelFox dropper as an effective way to activate a legitimate software product for free. We saw the dropper pretending to be a crack for Foxit PDF Editor, JetBrains, and AutoCAD.

Kaspersky notes that the cracking tool does exactly what it promises, tricking pirates into trusting the source and sharing the malicious app with their friends. However, the cracking tool also installs SteelFox, which sets up a cryptojacking service on the target computer. It then scans the device for installed browsers and attempts to steal personal information stored on it.

This is another example of the risks of using cracked software. If you want to keep your personal information safe and your PC safe from cryptojackers, don’t use pirated software. Remember, if you get something for free, there’s a good chance you’re getting something in return, especially if you’re doing something shady.