Watch Out! Malware In Free Spiderman Movies Can Drain Your Crypto Money!

JAKARTA – Peter Parker is not a cryptocurrency criminal mastermind, but the name Spiderman is quickly becoming more associated with the mining landscape. ReasonLabs, a leading provider of cybersecurity detection and prevention software, recently discovered a new form of malware hacking into customers' computers under the guise of the latest Spiderman movie.

Possibly the most talked about film for quite some time, Spiderman: No Way Home represents a great opportunity for hackers. This is an opportunity to connect with millions of potential targets, and hack computers around the world. All bad actors need to do right now is promise their victims access to this latest movie, and they get all access to their PCs.

The cryptocurrency mining malware discovered by ReasonLabs disguised itself as a torrent for the film Spiderman: No Way Home, prompting viewers worldwide to download files, and open computers to these criminals.

Using a Mask: Tricking Users into Downloading Malware

Cybersecurity issues are on the rise in today's digital world. There were an estimated 714 million attempted ransomware attacks reported for 2021 – up 134% from 2020. As most people are now spending more of their time online. For both work and entertainment, and criminals find new opportunities to define easy targets. One of the easiest ways for criminals to find their victims is with the right lure.

According to a thehackernews.com report, with many viewers still unable to attend physical theaters due to lockdown restrictions, fans of the Spiderman franchise are eager to get the film elsewhere. This may be why so many people choose to download the "leaked" file, identified as: spiderman_net_putidomoi.torrent.exe, when it first appears.

However, according to ReasonLabs, this isn't the first time criminals have tried to trick users into convincing them that they downloaded something they wanted.

While most people are aware of the threats associated with unknown files, criminals are very good at making their downloads look legitimate. This particular cryptocurrency mining malware may have existed in a number of different guises before putting on the Spiderman outfit. ReasonLabs believes it has also circulated as an app like Discord or Windows Updater.

What Does the Spiderman Malware Do?

The malware included in the Spiderman: No Way Home torrent is not listed by VirusTotal at this time, but ReasonLabs believes that it has been around for some time, and has affected many users.

ReasonLabs notes that they often see miners spreading disguised as common programs and files. Crypto mining tools hidden in files have become increasingly popular in recent years, as they offer easy access to cash. Hiding crypto miners in files that are sure to attract a lot of attention, like the Spiderman movie, makes it easy to target as many victims as possible.

Crypto Mining Malware

When a user downloads a file, the code adds an exception to Windows Defender to stop you from tracking its actions, raises a watchdog for protection, and creates persistence.

The overall goal of this malware is to mine a type of cryptocurrency called Monero (XMR) – one of the more untraceable and anonymous cryptocurrencies that is often used on the dark web.

Preventing Data Breach

Users affected by malware may not notice any changes to their computers immediately. However, as technology uses up your CPU power, you may start to notice a drop in speed, and problems with the overall functionality of your computer. Also, the damage will likely show up on the electricity bill as well, as the device needs to draw extra power to mine.

Spiderman Not Safe

As consumers continue to spend more and more of their time online, malicious individuals are actively looking for new and better ways to trick their users into downloading suspicious files. The Spiderman torrent malware is just one great example of this.

ReasonLabs discovered the malware during a routine search of files in their substantial database. The company has collected a lot of malware data over the years, and routinely checks for any files that can be identified as suspicious.

After one of the ReasonLabs users downloaded the Spiderman file, it was immediately flagged as suspicious and flagged for investigation.

Currently, ReasonLabs is still in the process of actively researching where this malware originated and hopes to provide some additional insight soon. In the meantime, be careful which spiders you trust.