Read about this crypto malware before you unlock pirated Windows 10/11 features

pirate windows 10 risk

If you have been using a pirated version of Microsoft Windows 10 or 11, this is for you. It’s time that you become extra cautious and this pirated use can put you at risk.

While these pirated Windows can be activated with the help of third-party tools but doing so can be dangerous.

Pirated copies of Windows can be activated with the help of the popular KMSPico tool and malware is also being spread with it.

This malware can steal the crypto wallet data of users.

The research report exposed the malware

A research report by Red Canary has revealed that crypto-malware is spreading among users to steal information related to their cryptocurrency wallets.

This malware named Cryptobot gets installed secretly in the background.

Once installed successfully, the malware’s first job is to steal crypto details, which are then used to empty cryptocurrency wallets.

Users using pirated Windows versions are becoming easy victims of this.

Researcher warns about the malware

Red Canary researcher Tony Lambert said, “The user becomes infected by clicking one of the malicious links and downloading either KMSPico, Cryptbot, or another malware without KMSPico.”

“The adversaries install KMSPico also, because that is what the victim expects to happen, while simultaneously deploying Cryptbot behind the scenes,” he said.

It is not safe to use this tool and it is advised to avoid it.

This is what KMSPico Activation Tool is

KMSPico Tool is a kind of software, with the help of which all the features in pirated versions of Microsoft Windows and Office apps can be used and they do not have to be activated.

This is an unofficial tool, due to which it cannot be downloaded from the official app store or software store.

Downloading such softwares and tools from third-party websites can be dangerous and unsafe for the system.

IT departments are at risk

If the report is to be believed, this malware is also harming the IT departments of different companies instead of ordinary users.

Researchers said in the report, “We’ve observed several IT departments using KMSPico instead of legitimate Microsoft licenses to activate systems. In fact, we even experienced one ill-fated incident response engagement where our IR partner could not remediate one environment due to the organization not having a single valid Windows license in the environment.”

The report adds, “KMSPico and other non-official KMS activators circumvent Microsoft licenses and are a form of pirated software, posing a non-trivial risk to organizations. Legitimate activation on Windows is the only method supported by Microsoft.”

Why pirated software is dangerous?

Pirated software is actually the original or modified version of genuine software, which is available free of cost.

The risk lies in the fact that these softwares have to be downloaded from third-party websites, which makes them dangerous.

With the help of such software, malicious entities can easily hack the system and a lot of damage can be done to it.

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