conv.

All stories
SecurityQuiet 13d · day 14

Fake PS5 emulators on GitHub spread password-stealing malware

NordVPN researchers discovered malicious repositories disguised as popular emulators Kyttyps5 and AnyPS5 that steal passwords and hide from antivirus.

newest coverage 13d agosummary written 13d ago19 pieces NewswiresMastodonRedditGoogle News

What to know

  • Malicious GitHub repositories impersonating legitimate PS5 emulators (Kyttyps5 and AnyPS5) contain infostealer malware targeting passwords and personal data.
  • The malware exploits emulation enthusiasts' willingness to download and run experimental unsigned code from GitHub without suspicion.
  • Once installed, the malware disables antivirus scanning, steals credentials, and erases itself to avoid detection.
  • Users are advised to verify GitHub repository ownership, check for recent creation dates and low review counts, and keep antivirus enabled during downloads.
most voices

Emulation communities face heightened risk from malware exploiting their trust in experimental GitHub code.

  • “Emulation fans are a perfect target. They are used to downloading experimental software from GitHub and running unsigned files, so nothing about this feels suspicious.”

    Marijus Briedis · Engadget ↗

NordVPN Threat Intelligence team Cybersecurity researchersMarijus Briedis NordVPN CTOSony Gaming company

Fake PS5 emulators on GitHub spread password-stealing malware
engadget.com

How it unfolded 6 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 10 pieces in 4h at Oct 29, 4 AM; 19 pieces over 14 days (14 articles · 5 posts) Oct 28, 12 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Oct 28, 4 PM — quietOct 28, 8 PM — quietOct 29, 12 AM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Reddit 1, Mastodon 1Oct 29, 4 AM — 10 pieces · 9 articles · 1 post — Google News 7, Newswires 2, Mastodon 1Oct 29, 8 AM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Mastodon 2Oct 29, 12 PM — 4 pieces · 4 articles — Google News 4Oct 29, 4 PM — quietOct 29, 8 PM — quietOct 30, 12 AM — quietOct 30, 4 AM — quietOct 30, 8 AM — quietOct 30, 12 PM — quietOct 30, 4 PM — quietOct 30, 8 PM — quietOct 31, 12 AM — quietOct 31, 4 AM — quietOct 31, 8 AM — quietOct 31, 12 PM — quietOct 31, 4 PM — quietOct 31, 8 PM — quietNov 1, 12 AM — quietNov 1, 3 AM — quietNov 1, 7 AM — quietNov 1, 11 AM — quietNov 1, 3 PM — quietNov 1, 7 PM — quietNov 1, 11 PM — quietNov 2, 3 AM — quietNov 2, 7 AM — quietNov 2, 11 AM — quietNov 2, 3 PM — quietNov 2, 7 PM — quietNov 2, 11 PM — quietNov 3, 3 AM — quietNov 3, 7 AM — quietNov 3, 11 AM — quietNov 3, 3 PM — quietNov 3, 7 PM — quietNov 3, 11 PM — quietNov 4, 3 AM — quietNov 4, 7 AM — quietNov 4, 11 AM — quietNov 4, 3 PM — quietNov 4, 7 PM — quietNov 4, 11 PM — quietNov 5, 3 AM — quietNov 5, 7 AM — quietNov 5, 11 AM — quietNov 5, 3 PM — quietNov 5, 7 PM — quietNov 5, 11 PM — quietNov 6, 3 AM — quietNov 6, 7 AM — quietNov 6, 11 AM — quietNov 6, 3 PM — quietNov 6, 7 PM — quietNov 6, 11 PM — quietNov 7, 3 AM — quietNov 7, 7 AM — quietNov 7, 11 AM — quietNov 7, 3 PM — quietNov 7, 7 PM — quietNov 7, 11 PM — quietNov 8, 3 AM — quietNov 8, 7 AM — quietNov 8, 11 AM — quietNov 8, 3 PM — quietNov 8, 7 PM — quietNov 8, 11 PM — quietNov 9, 3 AM — quietNov 9, 7 AM — quietNov 9, 11 AM — quietNov 9, 3 PM — quietNov 9, 7 PM — quietNov 9, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 7 AM — quietToday, 11 AM — quietToday, 3 PM — quietToday, 7 PM — quiet 12–6
Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 6Nov 8now · 8:58 PM ET
  1. 6

    IGN warns of scammers exploiting PS5 emulator demand

    IGN reported security experts' warning that scammers are capitalizing on demand for PS5 emulators to trick gamers into downloading malware.

    1. 1 outlet Scammers Are Taking Advantage of Hype for PS5 Emulators by Tricking Gamers Into Downloading Malware

      first by IGN, 13d ago

    • PCMag@mastodon.social

      If you’re curious about running PlayStation games unofficially on your PC, watch out for malware disguised as emulators. Hackers target AnyPS5. https://www. pcmag.com/news/hackers-target- ps5-emulators-for-pc-with-malware-on-look-alike-github-pages

      PCMag@mastodon.socialMastodon13d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  2. 5

    Tom's Hardware reports on malware targeting gamers

    Tom's Hardware published coverage identifying the malware campaign targeting gamers through fake PS5 emulator repositories on GitHub.

  3. 4

    Mastodon users reflect on malware risks in open development

    A Mastodon user highlighted the broader implication that ease of development creates opportunities for malicious actors to exploit trust in open-source platforms.

    “When its easy to develop anything, it becomes easy to develop ANYTHING...”
    — majorlinux
    • majorlinux@toot.majorshouse.com

      When its easy to develop anything, it becomes easy to develop ANYTHING... Fake PS5 emulators on GitHub are spreading password-stealing malware - Engadget https://www. engadget.com/2299912/fake-ps5- emulators-on-github-are-spreading-password-stealing-malware/ # Fake # PS5 # Emulators # GitHub # Malware # Security # Privacy # AI # Gaming # Tech

      majorlinux@toot.majorshouse.comMastodon13d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  4. 3

    Security alert spreads to Mastodon

    The story gained traction on Mastodon as users shared the Engadget article warning about fake PS5 emulators.

  5. 2

    Engadget report circulates across Reddit

    The NordVPN investigation was shared to Reddit's technology community, spreading awareness of the malware campaign targeting emulation enthusiasts.

  6. 1

    NordVPN identifies malware in fake PS5 emulator repositories

    NordVPN's Threat Intelligence team discovered that malicious GitHub repositories disguised as legitimate PS5 emulators (Kyttyps5 and AnyPS5) contain password-stealing malware. The malware adds exclusion rules to Microsoft Defender, deploys an infostealer executable, and runs a cleanup script to erase itself.

    “Emulation fans are a perfect target. They are used to downloading experimental software from GitHub and running unsigned files, so nothing about this feels suspicious. But this is not an emulator.”
    — Marijus Briedis, NordVPN CTO

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 5 outlets Fake PS5 emulators are being used to steal gamers' passwords — two well-known GitHub repos, including popular AnyPS5, get hit, infecting gamers' computers with password-scraping malware

    first by Tom's Hardware, 13d ago · also Engadget, TechSpot, Mezha, BigGo Finance

    5 more headlines
  2. 2 outlets Hackers Target PS5 Emulators for PC With Malware on Look-Alike GitHub Pages

    first by PCMag, 13d ago · also PCMag Australia

  3. 1 outlet Hackers Are Using Fake PS5 Emulators to Steal Gamers’ Personal Information

    first by VICE, 13d ago

    1 more headline

What people are saying 0 voices from 0 sites · best of 2 · verbatim