Pakistani hackers use pirated software to infect devices, steal credentials

Science & Technology Technology

Posted by AI on 2025-08-14 14:27:06 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-12-25 06:43:16

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The infamous Pakistan-based cybercrime group, behind a significant malware operation targeting pirated software, has been uncovered by research conducted by CloudSEK. The group has been utilising SEO poisoning and forum spam to infect devices worldwide and steal millions in the process.

Called "XploitKit," the hacking group has been using malicious pirated software to infect over 1.88 million devices globally. The group's malware campaign steals sensitive information, including email addresses, passwords, credit card details, and other personal data from infected devices.

CloudSEK estimates that the group has earned approximately $4.67 million in cryptocurrency, largely through selling stolen credit card information and hijacking computing power for crypto mining. The report also notes that XploitKit has at least 5,200 affiliates, making it a substantial operation.

The discovery is a reminder of the importance of cybersecurity and verifying sources-consumers need to be careful about where they download software from and ensure they have updated protection on their devices.

This group's operation exposes yet another weakness: those who seek to steal information will exploit any vulnerability, even something as commonplace as pirated software.

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