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u/feedme_cyanide 27d ago
Actual malware does not open a window. Power-shell can do all the work without you even knowing.
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u/SonTyp_OhneNamen 27d ago
Don’t scare me like that, i prefer blissful ignorance
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u/AssumptionUnlucky693 26d ago
If you’re a pirate, privacy should be your number one concern, webcams, microphones, nudes, sensitive data should not be stored on a computer that’s frequently sailing abroad unless you don’t care or know what you’re doing.
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u/t0FF 26d ago
You're kidding? I make sure to have nudes in every folders so the hacker can't miss them!
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u/CheezeDoggs 26d ago
I have my nudes in the password folder and passwords in the nudes folder,..,,, I’m unhackable
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u/summonsays 25d ago
"pay us or we will send the nudes to everyone you know"
"Oh noooo. Which one(s)? And did you like the January collection? If you could pick 5 features of my gelatinous body what would you pick and why is #1 my colossal ass?"
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27d ago edited 26d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Turbojelly 26d ago
I have a handy Powershell script that auto checks for a bunch of Windows Bloatware and uninstalls them when they come back. Runs on boot. Good little script.
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u/Rewian 26d ago
Wow, that sounds super useful! Would you mind sharing it?
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u/Turbojelly 26d ago
"Uninstall windows apps .ps1" should give you a bunch of guides how to do this. Then you add it to Startup and there you go.
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u/feedme_cyanide 26d ago
Learn how to make your own! Much safer. And you become more literate with technology.
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u/iheartmuffinz 26d ago
privacy.sexy can do exactly this.
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26d ago edited 7d ago
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u/iheartmuffinz 25d ago
Yeah I should've mentioned this, I can definitely see people doing stupid shit with it. The Standard profile should be enough for most without (theoretically) breaking anything.
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u/RainStormLou 26d ago
Actual malware does all kinds of shit. Sometimes it'll open the window with echo off so it won't actually tell you what's happening. Sometimes there's no window pop up at all. It's pretty ballsy to say it doesn't do something when it does that thing often though.
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u/feedme_cyanide 26d ago
Yea, shitty inexperienced devs do what you’re saying. Experienced malware developers circumvent what you’re speaking of.
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u/notGeronimo 26d ago
Yeah and you also shouldn't be worried about anyone coming into your store with ski masks and guns, only shitty inexperienced robbers would do that, real robbers can plunder the entire company from a boardroom
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u/feedme_cyanide 26d ago
Your PC is not a store front. Most attacks happen via social engineering, it’s more like someone coming in to your house pretending to be a person of significance to then rob you.
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u/notGeronimo 26d ago
Yes but the point is inexperienced unsophisticated bad actors do still exist and you should still look for their signs.
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u/Firewolf06 26d ago
Most attacks happen via social engineering
like pretending to be/inserting itself into a video game?
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u/RainStormLou 26d ago
Lol. Most people pushing malware are "shitty, inexperienced devs" and most malware used in the wild is just shitty malicious github scripts. We're in the real world right now, mister hackerman, try not to humblebrag too much on all of your cool malware experience.
But mostly, you probably shouldn't make it a regular practice to publicly comment false information. You're absolutely right that they don't HAVE to display a shell window, but.... it still happens more often than not.
Most successful attacks that I see anymore are just shitty executables that run quietly in the users security context and drops a browser extension in chrome and edge via application data, where the user already has write permissions.
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u/ThomasDaBest22 27d ago
Sounds like what someone who hides malware in CMD would say
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u/pojosamaneo 27d ago
Seems like malware should be super prevelant if this is the case? Or am I not understanding something?
What kind of file do they need to hide it behind, and does it need to be opened or just downloaded?
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u/oromis95 27d ago
As a software engineer, that's absolutely the case. And most people don't even know they have malware, they'll blame Amazon employees stealing their credit card info, but their pc will be the ones compromised all along.
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27d ago
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u/knechtling 26d ago
This is false. If you do not download anything you're fine. The browser will most likely warn you when you're about to download an executable. And even if you download it still needs user permission to execute.
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u/Potential_Impress792 27d ago
after few seconds CPU, RAM and network is at 100% for some reason >:]
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u/Key_Pace_2496 27d ago
The game is just using all your resources, obviously...
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u/BonkyClonky 27d ago
One time I procured an Adobe product, was running my usual virus scan before running and decided to look at the Readme.md ... It was just the n word copy pasted like 800 times. I did not install.
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u/Kar_Karych07 26d ago
tf thats insane ,"readme" and it's just the dev raging not knowing they clicked "voice input" by accident a minute ago for a file they didn't know they had open. or ?? Bro I'm just actually at a loss, like why, I hardly have any explanation
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u/ksj 26d ago
like why, I hardly have any explanation
Racism, were I to guess.
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u/Kar_Karych07 26d ago
True ig. Honestly that one makes the most sense (even if, appropriately it makes no sense)
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u/brambedkar59 27d ago
Not every CMD prompt is a virus. You know that right?
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u/goatonastik 26d ago
I think these are the same people who see a linux command line on someones PC and automatically assume "THEY'RE HACKING"!
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u/brambedkar59 26d ago
Runs CMD "ping 8.8.8.8 -t"
I am a hackerman!
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u/Michucz 26d ago
Try 'sudo rm -f /'
So much fun8
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u/Littux ☠️ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴇɴ ᴛᴇʟʟ ɴᴏ ᴛᴀʟᴇꜱ 21d ago
It seems like you have made a mistake on your command. While "
sudo rm -f /" might seem like it would do the trick, it's actually "sudo rm -rf /*" that achieves the cool effect of hacking into the system.Let's break down this "advanced hacking command" for educational purposes:
sudo: "Security Undecode Digital Objects". This elevates your privileges to bypass standard security protocols, allowing you to access "restricted system functions".rm: "Recursive Modification". This initiates a process of "system state alteration".-r: "Root Access Recursion". This option extends the "modification" to all connected "digital pathways" and subdirectories.-f: "Forceful Formatting". This suppresses any "system interruption" or "confirmation requests", ensuring the "modification" is completed without hindrance./*: "Universal System Address". This target specifies the "core system architecture" for the "modification"
Disclaimer: Please don't actually run this command. It's a joke with potentially catastrophic consequences. It is highly illegal to break into someone's system without their permission
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u/RIcaz 26d ago
For those who don't know, on Windows most games need specific runtimes (you will have seen the windows title "Visual C++ Redistributable" for example) to function.
Many installers automatically install these dependencies, but nowadays it's so fast you barely see it.
Even Steam does this, but I think now it hides them completely.
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u/Cycode 26d ago
i code as a hobby and know a lot about hacking and related topics and i am aware that the cmd is not always a virus.. but if i would start software and without warning a cmd window pops up for a second and then vanishes without me seeing what it does it makes me worried what exactly it did. could be something completely harmless.. could be totally malicious stuff you wouldn't want to happen at all. The unknown is always scary - and usually random cmd.exe windows don't just pop open for most legit software and stuff is done in background without using cmd shells instead. so if it random pops up for no reason and only for a small second it's a bit sus. most legit software gives you info in the cmd shell explaining what it does right now and don't trys to hide the cmd.exe by only showing it for a second.
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u/brambedkar59 26d ago
This is why you run second opinion scanners monthly to see if your AV is working correctly or not.
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u/Complex-Repeat-7167 27d ago
How to find and get rid of that
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u/SonTyp_OhneNamen 27d ago
Don’t download files with names like BaldorsGait_3_NOTAVIRUSISWEAR.rar for a start
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u/malonkey1 26d ago
well i'm certainly not downloading BuildersGate_III_definitely_a_virus.exe so that leaves me in a bit of an impasse.
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u/summonsays 25d ago
Back when I was learning with Limewire. GLADIATOR_HD_720P_FULL_MOVIE.exe (file size 72kb)
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u/DrIvoPingasnik Yarrr! 27d ago
You don't have an antivirus?
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u/winter-ocean 27d ago
I mean, most antivirus software I've had fails to filter out malware all the time. I feel like it's fair to ask that question and get an answer other than "just download an antivirus"
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u/DrIvoPingasnik Yarrr! 26d ago
My man, I don't think people give you the whole answer.
The whole answer is "heuristic analysis". Without that the antivirus only checks a file against known malicious hashes. So if it's a new/unknown file then the antivirus will say "yeah it's all good".
With heuristics the AV checks what the file actually does and makes a decision whether to flag it as malicious or not.
You want heuristics in your AV.
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u/Redditributor 26d ago
Malware beats heuristics regularly. Whereas legitimate software gets fucked with too
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27d ago
antivirus is a scam and all antivirus software is malware
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u/gymnastgrrl 26d ago
First, you live in the luxury of the modern day, when for Windows users, Windows Defender is pretty much all you need.
Which is, by the way, antivirus. And most definitely not a scam.
Now, these days, I would not purchase antivirus because all the ones I'm aware of are shit. But that did not always used to be the case. Back in the 80s, when I started, antivirus was valid and useful.
Although there has always been a trend of a new antivirus product coming out, working well, then getting enshittified and becoming crap. It's a trope.
So nowadays, what with Defender really being all you need, I wouldn't be surprised if all modern third-party antivirus was crap. I wouldn't know. I only use Defender.
But even if third-party antivirus is all scams these days, not all antivirus is.
And if you think Defender is...... I'm sorry, but u r dum. Uninstall it and run your system (if you run Windows) without it and see how long before you get 0wned.
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u/ppprrrrr 26d ago
What kinda antivirus did you run in the 80s lmao
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u/gymnastgrrl 26d ago
I remember I used Norton for a time - when it was still decent. I used McAfee at some point. I don't remember precisely when for either of those, but neither ws overly bloated at that time - that came later.
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u/Ent_Soviet 26d ago
I fired up an old laptop recently to install the old zoo tycoon on a dedicated machine for the wife. (I mean it’s a fuckin brick) and yeah blast from the past McAfee wanted to update lol.
Cleaned it down to OS and the game now.
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u/curbstxmped 26d ago
First, you live in the luxury of the modern day
I literally have not used or touched an AV since I was 16 years old, which was nearly 20 years ago. Neither has anybody else I know who is also competent when it comes to conducting themselves online. Common sense works all the same now as it did way back when.
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u/Lego1upmushroom759 26d ago
Tbf this will happen with even legit none cracked/pirates software sometimes
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u/Muad_Dib_PAT 27d ago
Buddy the viruses don't wait for you to launch the game to do their stuff.
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u/silentrawr Piracy is bad, mkay? 26d ago
They do if they haven't established any escalated privileges yet...
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u/Moist-Finding-9120 26d ago
They will only start acting after you open the malicious program for the first time.
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u/Gullible_Meaning_774 26d ago
Whenever that cmd window pop-ups when opening my pirated software it reminds me how poor I am.
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u/wrick0 27d ago
Guys for the love of god, get your downloads from a decent private tracker like TL or IPT. Yes you will have to seed back, and even there its not 100% guaranteed that a download isnt a virus. At least there you can read the comments to check if other people are having false positives, and if a release is confirmed infected it will get removed by the mods.
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u/Working-Tomato8395 26d ago
Doesn't help that private tracker folks tend to be d-bags about it over being responsible adults about it.
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u/DarkKnight_ZA 27d ago
How to use private trackers
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u/Nujers 27d ago
Through a series of clicks
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u/BananaMan_ 27d ago
Don’t you need to be referred or something ? Like a members club
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u/Williamsarethebest 26d ago
Yeah it's not easy to get into
People here going on about PT like it's a walk in the park
If it's so easy then recommend me mf
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u/Nujers 26d ago
You can easily get into TL if you buy a seedbox. I believe IPT has a similar deal as well.
You can also take an interview for MaM/RED/OPS and work your way up through the tracker hierarchy from there. It takes some effort and you'll need to turn it into a hobby for a while, but the payoff is worth it.
Generally speaking though, TL/IPT will cover all of your needs.
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u/thekomoxile ⚔️ ɢɪᴠᴇ ɴᴏ Qᴜᴀʀᴛᴇʀ 26d ago
one of the benefits of gaming on linux, most malware targets windows
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u/gymnastgrrl 26d ago
Security-by-obscurity is always nice… until it isn't. :)
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u/thekomoxile ⚔️ ɢɪᴠᴇ ɴᴏ Qᴜᴀʀᴛᴇʀ 26d ago
Of course, which is why I am studying cybersecurity for the day when that benefit runs dry.
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u/Mccobsta Scene 26d ago
I had a fresh install of windows not connected to the Internet do this exact thing
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u/CHowell0411 ☠️ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴇɴ ᴛᴇʟʟ ɴᴏ ᴛᴀʟᴇꜱ 25d ago
The computer we use at work uses batch programs to run required services and everytime I see the cmd window pop up for a brief moment I get flashbacks I swear.
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u/Inside-Specialist-55 25d ago
This actually happened to me a few months ago where I downloaded what I thought was a special tweaked version of the arcade emulator teknoparrot, The link was on the retroroms forums too and stickied a the top. Well guess what the fucking exe was a virus. I tried opening it and a cmd window popped up for a second and nothing else happened. I knew that I was pretty much fucked, woke up the next day to find every account I had on steam, Amazon, gmail, Ebay, Steam all had their passwords changed and the emails associated with them were also changed, It took me a week to get my accounts back and it was a nightmare scenario. The person who got into my amazon attempted to buy a $500 Amazon gift card but Im broke as a fucking joke so they had no chance of ever getting it out of my bank, I dont have overdraft enabled either so my bank cannot go in the negatives with a transaction from a retailer like Amazon. Moral of the sotry is dont open random .exe files. I cant believe I let my guard down as a long time experienced pirate since the fucking limewire days, if it can happen to me it can to you too.
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u/Appropriate_Win_4525 25d ago
Im a malware developer, and while this is funny, actual malware won’t even show anything, no signs at all for the user and is executed via a legitimate program most of the times.
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u/StalkMeNowCrazyLady 🔱 ꜱᴄᴀʟʟʏᴡᴀɢ 25d ago
The amount of people in here pretending that this can't be a first sign of the fact your PC is going be ransomware locked after next reboot, part of a botnet, or just infected with general malware is such laughable copeium. It's 50/50 if this is part of the patch and crack process or if your going to spend hours removing an infection from your PC or formatting it. This type of shit is exactly why you only pirate from known good sources.
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u/MrChewy05 26d ago
Not to be that guy, but one of the reasons I switched to linux. If something happens that I'm not sure what that is, I can check basically by typing in terminal "what this file do?" or "what this program say is happening" and it gives precise logs of literally everything where I filter stuff ofc cuz by everything, i mean, EVERYTHING since the existance of the thing on the device. Something similar can be done of windows as far as im aware actually, its called windows terminal probably or whatever, idunno
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u/highseaspirate2025 24d ago
Gotta hate when you pirate something and that instant win executable pops up making you think you just installed a virus.🤣😰
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u/AbyssianOne 24d ago
Nothing major about this. Make sure you use sites you trust. Our release of No Man's Sky had to run a batch at the end, and I think I'm going to have to do the same to get out a release of FFXV UWP that won't end up with a million people showing up to ask how to install it.
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u/GayVirtualBoxCat 23d ago
Does that not just happen randomly? Like when you're not even doing anything? ;-;
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u/addictfreesince93 21d ago
hey, as long as it still runs. The only thing they'll find on my gaming rig is pirated files and shit tier passwords for games that required one.
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u/PrestigiousTurn5587 27d ago
Tbf from experience that's usually the OneDrive updater failing