Cracked Silent Hunter 5 – Battle of the Malware

To protect the 5^th part of Silent Hunter game from piracy, its producers has implemented a new protection system, which not only sparked discontent within the gamers' community but also increased hackers' desire to crack it. This coincides with gamers' passionate hunt for a cracked version of the game, which is clearly illustrated by the search statistics, in which the "name of the game + cracked" combination ranks very high.

However, while engaging in this quest players are willingly transforming themselves into sitting ducks for e-threats. A quick search on the Internet over this very hot topic has revealed that no less than four different breeds of malware accompany the returned results.

The malware cocktail that players are in for includes two different Trojans, one Backdoor Agent and one Rootkit.

Here are just a few hints as to what these ingredients can do. Backdoor Agents are classic Trojan backdoors that open the infected machines to remote access. Rootkits attempt to hide processes, files, registry data and network connections and they are usually employed for malicious purposes, hiding viruses, worms, backdoors and spyware. In the case under discussion, for a complete malware pack, two other Trojans are delivered with the rootkit and the backdoor agent.

Hence, instead of commanding U-Bots in their search for fuel against allied forces stationed in Malta, Silent Hunter's aficionados could easily end up sinking their machines under the heavy fire of e-criminals' malware.

In order to stay safe, BitDefender recommends users never to follow suspicious links returned in Internet searches and to only download legitimate applications. Realizing the importance of copyright and the risks users expose themselves to when downloading pirated software are also two key lessons this malware spreading episode teaches. Finally, installing and updating a complete antimalware software solution will help them play on and play safe.