Microsoft has sent over a statement about the malware that has been attached to free Minecraft Skins, which is said to have infected 50,000 PCs.
“We have addressed this issue and put additional measures in place to protect our community, and we encourage players to report any suspicious activity to feedback.minecraft.net." said the statement to us from Microsoft.
Original Story - 17th April:</b>
GameWatcher has been informed that to 50,000 PCs running Minecraft may be infected with Powershell Malware, according to antivirus software maker Avast.
The malware was attached to free Minecraft Skins which are available online, including on the Official Minecraft Microsoft Store. Here's everything you need to know and what to do if your PC is infected.
Check out our list of the Best Adventure Games on PC!
What does the Powershell Malware do?
According to Avast, it is "designed to reformat hard-drives and delete backup data and system programs", which sounds terrifying frankly. Around 50,000 Minecraft accounts have been infected so far.
Which Minecraft Skins are Infected with Malware?
It's hard to tell unfortunately. Here are three examples that Avast have provided for us, that were made available freely on the official Microsoft Minecraft Marketplace:
While Mojang and Microsoft are working on fixing the problem for the Official Marketplace, there are dozens of Minecraft Skin sites on the net so you'll just have to use caution when visiting them - if you do at all.
How can I tell if my PC is infected with the Powershell Malware?
Random bizarre messages in your email Inbox, such as the following examples:
“You Are Nailed, Buy A New Computer This Is A Piece Of Sh*t”
“You have maxed your internet usage for a lifetime”
“Your a** got glued”
Or system performance issues caused by a tourstart.exe loop or an error message related to disk formatting, with the same program.
How can I get rid of the Powershell Malware?
Now, here's the bit that gets us slightly suspicious, which we're pointing out in case you're worried we're being paid by Avast for advertisements in this post. Avast recommends "a strong antivirus (AV)" program, which of course includes their own Avast Free Antivirus software. We're sure it's fine, however if you have your own Antivirus Software feel free to use that instead to identify the problem - or just scan anyway if you have the software already and you're concerned.
However, Avast does warn that in extreme infections where your data has been deleted, you may have to try data restoration, which we presume includes System Restore.
If you've downloaded any unofficial Minecraft skins, even from the official marketplace, give your PC a scan just in case - and hopefully on the official marketplace at least this vulnerability will be fixed very soon.
