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Threat actors posted fraudulent troubleshooting replies in Steam community forums that tricked gamers into opening PowerShell as administrator and pasting a malicious command presented as a fix for crashes, missing inventory items, and other game problems. The command launched a fake Windows optimization tool labeled "msf utility \ PC Opt", but actually disabled TLS certificate validation, added a Microsoft Defender exclusion for C:\Windows\Background, downloaded a payload from msfconfig[.]icu over TCP 443, and installed it as C:\Windows\Background\system.exe.
The malware then created a scheduled task named XMRig-[computer name] to run with SYSTEM privileges at startup, establishing persistence for an XMRig cryptominer. Reports said infected systems may show high CPU usage, increased power consumption, and performance degradation consistent with unauthorized Monero mining, and advised users to check for the C:\Windows\Background directory, Defender exclusions for that path, and scheduled tasks beginning with XMRig-; because the payload may have carried out additional actions, a full operating system reinstall was cited as the safest remediation.
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Threat actors abused Steam discussion forums with fraudulent troubleshooting replies that tricked users into running a malicious PowerShell command as administrator. The command installed and persisted an XMRig cryptominer by downloading a payload, adding a Microsoft Defender exclusion, and creating a scheduled task with SYSTEM privileges.
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Kaspersky reported that the open-source **XMRig** Monero miner was being folded into broader malware operations, including a "ransominer" chain that monetized victims before any ransom was paid. In one observed intrusion, attackers used a generic Trojan to install administrative tools, create a new user account, enable **RDP** access, deploy **Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crusis**, and then launch an XMRig loader so the compromised host immediately began generating cryptocurrency for the attackers. Telemetry showed more than **5,000** attempts in August 2020 to install XMRig or modified variants, with **Prometei** and **Cliptomaner** identified as major distributors. Prometei brute-forced **MS SQL** credentials, abused `xp_cmdshell` and **`CVE-2016-0099`**, and used a cross-platform **.NET Core/Apphost** loader to fetch miner payloads for Windows and Linux systems. Cliptomaner, first detected in September 2020, posed as **Realtek** audio software, was written in **AutoIT**, mined cryptocurrency, and also hijacked copied wallet addresses by replacing them with attacker-controlled ones.
Jun 29, 2026
Researchers reported two malware campaigns that install cryptocurrency miners through trojanized downloads delivered from pirate streaming sites and fake software portals. In one operation, users visiting illicit movie and TV sites were shown a bogus video-plugin update that delivered a ZIP archive containing a legitimate executable and a malicious DLL; the DLL sideloaded a multi-stage miner framework with persistence, defense evasion, a watchdog, a **RAT** component, and CPU/GPU mining modules. The malware, a modified fork of SilentCryptoMiner, used DNS tunneling for execution gating, installed a service named `GoogleUpdateTaskMachineQC`, weakened Windows defenses, injected into `conhost.exe` and `explorer.exe`, and communicated through rotating domains and infrastructure tied to `107[.]172[.]212[.]235`. Microsoft described a related cryptojacking-focused campaign aimed at owners of high-performance PCs, using fake downloads of popular utilities and hardware-monitoring tools that were promoted through SEO poisoning and, more recently, surfaced in AI assistant recommendations. Those ZIP archives also paired a legitimate executable with a malicious DLL for sideloading, then installed **ScreenConnect** for persistent remote access, set registry autoruns and scheduled tasks, added Microsoft Defender exclusions, checked for analysis tools, and used process hollowing to launch payloads inside trusted Windows processes. After profiling infected systems, the attackers fetched GPU miners including **gminer**, **lolMiner**, and **SRBMiner-MULTI**; researchers warned the access could support not only cryptomining but also data theft, lateral movement, and eventual ransomware deployment.
Jun 29, 2026
Researchers identified a multi-stage, fileless-leaning Windows malware chain that stores PowerShell payloads in the Registry and hides later stages in DNS TXT records, PNG images, ZIP archives, and WAV files. The malware reconstructs .NET assemblies and loads an **XMRig** cryptocurrency miner directly into memory, configured for RandomX mining with up to 40 CPU threads and a TLS-connected mining pool. The infection establishes persistence through hidden scheduled tasks and a permanent WMI event subscription, while attempting to weaken Microsoft Defender controls and erase PowerShell history. It uses DNS-over-HTTPS via Google DNS alongside HTTP/HTTPS communications for command-and-control and host identification; researchers warned that this active C2 channel could also deliver commands or payloads beyond cryptomining.
Sep 21, 2026