Some Pirated Mario Movie Copies Are Infected With Malware
Fans pirating The Super Marios Bros. Movie are accidentally infecting their PC with malware, according to a new report. The virus, which has apparently been used more than 150,000 times with other trending films, works by stealing sensitive personal data from its victims, including passwords and banking details.
As reported by Axios, the virus was first identified on April 30 when a pirated version of the Mario Movie circulated on social media. It's not clear who is responsible for this attack, but it's estimated that millions of people have been affected by the malware, posing significant privacy concerns.
Related: Why The Mario Movie Grossing One Billion Dollars Matters
This data comes from cybersecurity company ReasonLabs, who have identified the same malware in other pirated films in the past. However, given the record-beating success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, this could prove its most fruitful target yet, with millions of fans likely eager to watch the film from home before its official release.
"The malicious software, a Trojan virus, installs a web extension that hijacks the user’s search function in order for the cyber attacker to receive monetary gain or steal sensitive information," explains ReasonLabs. "While the Trojan is one of the most widespread malicious extensions distributed today, this is the first time it has been discovered leveraging Super Mario Bros."
That last point seems to suggest that any downloads prior to April 30 are more likely to be safe than anything after that date, when the malware was first identified. At this point, fans are advised to remain cautious, mindful of what they're downloading onto their devices.
Thankfully, fans wanting to watch the Mario Movie from home will
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