security Archives

Malicious Code Found Embedded in Steam Downloads

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Mar 2025

A malicious game on Steam called PirateFi was found to contain malware which steals personal information, highlighting the risks of unverified downloads.

A recent attack involving a game on Steam has highlighted the importance of vigilance when downloading software. The game, called PirateFi, was available to download on Steam – an online platform for buying and playing games – but contained malware designed to steal personal data from players’ computers.

Pirates Strike Gold on Infected Systems

PirateFi – which was a free to play game – was developed by Seaworth Interactive and available on Steam from February 6th to February 12th, 2025. Promising an engaging and challenging survival experience, setting players objectives such as base building, food gathering, and making weapons, PirateFi was downloaded by around 1500 players and generated numerous positive reviews.

However, it was soon discovered that PirateFi was not simply a game meant to excite players and take their minds off the real world. Reports soon emerged that the game contained malware known as Vidar, a data-stealing program. Vidar is designed to harvest sensitive data from infected computers, so this could easily include passwords, financial information, and personal documents. Rather than Vidar being bundled with PirateFi as bloatware, Vidar was embedded within the game’s files, allowing it to be launched when the game was started.

Valve, the company behind Steam, quickly removed PirateFi from their platform on February 12^th, when the threat was identified. They were also swift in issuing security notifications to those who had downloaded the game. Valve’s advice was, for those who had downloaded PirateFi, to run a full system scan using up-to-date antimalware software to detect and remove any dangerous files. Alternatively, Valve suggested that those at risk fully reinstalled their operation system to ensure Vidar was completely removed.

Staying Safe from Dangerous Downloads

This attack underlines the ingenuity and evolving tactics of threat actors, who are increasingly targeting popular platforms like Steam and GitHub to distribute their malware.

By disguising their malware as legitimate tools on these platforms, the threat actors are exploiting the trust users place in these websites. For a threat actor, this is fantastic as it opens up their attack to a huge audience. However, for a user it’s highly frustrating and dangerous. Accordingly, you need to practice the following to remain safe:

Be Cautious with Unverified Software: Before downloading and installing new software, especially from lesser-known sources, always take the time to research the application. Seek out reviews from reputable sources and check for any reports of malicious activity relating to the software.
Keep Your Security Software Updated: Ensure that your antivirus and anti-malware programs are always up to date. Regularly scan your system for potential threats, particularly after installing new applications. Updated security software can detect, quarantine and delete the latest malware threats before they can take hold of your system.
Monitor for Unusual Activity: Always be mindful of any suspicious activity on your networks, such as unusual drops in performance, unfamiliar programs executing, or unauthorized access to your accounts. If you notice signs such as these, there’s a chance that your network has been breached.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

The headlines generated by cybersecurity attacks always focus on the damage caused by hackers, but who exactly are the hackers and why do they hack?

Financial losses associated with cybercrime hit a mighty $12.5 billion in 2023, so it’s clear to see that hackers have a major impact on society. And yet we know so little about them. Characterized as shady, hidden figures, hackers rely on this mysterious air to create panic and fear when they strike. Technically savvy, they pose a major threat to computer systems all over the world, and they often get away with it through a mixture of ingenuity and bravado.

To help you understand their motives better, we’re going to pull back the digital curtain and show you who these hackers are and what drives them to attack IT infrastructures.

The Main Types of Hackers

There are many different types of hackers, with different methods of operation and varying skillsets. The main variants you’re likely to encounter are:

Black Hat Hackers: Perhaps the most infamous type of hacker, black hat hackers are regularly discussed on the Ophtek blog due to their love of breaking into IT systems. Their main activities involve launching malware, compromising software vulnerabilities, and setting up phishing campaigns.
White Hat Hackers: In contrast to their black hat counterparts, white hat hackers are a force for good. Typically, they work in conjunction with organizations to identify weak spots in their IT security e.g. demonstrating where software vulnerabilities are present or highlighting the use of default passwords on routers.
Hacktivists: These hackers aren’t out to commit cybercrime in the same way as a black hat hacker, but hacktivists operate on the wrong side of the law in order to bring about social or political change. A good example of this can be found in the 2022 attacks launched against Russian websites by the hacking group Anonymous, an attack designed in response to the Russian war on Ukraine.

What are the Motivations Behind Hacking?

Every hack will have a motive behind it and it’s important to understand these motives in order to better protect our computer systems. The main driving forces behind cyberattacks include:

Financial Gain: As with all crime, money acts as a significant motivating factor. Stolen credentials, for example, can be sold on the dark web for large amounts of cash. Likewise, the rise of Malware-as-a-Service has proved highly lucrative for hackers and been responsible for some devastating attacks.
Challenging Themselves: Hackers love the prestige of a successful hack, and this hit of dopamine is enough to encourage them to set about launching increasingly audacious attacks. This not only challenges them and provides a firm motivation, but it also encourages them to hone their skills and make their attacks harder to defend against.
Personal Grievances: Often, the main motivation behind a hack is simply a slice of old-fashioned revenge. An ex-employee, perhaps terminated unfairly in their eyes, may seek revenge by exploiting their knowledge of an organization’s IT system. This insider knowledge may offer them the opportunity to strike back and hurt the organization.

Final Thoughts

Hackers, with their varying objectives and motivations, are a complex set of individuals and groups. While some may be a force for good, just as many have taken up their craft to inflict damage and benefit financially from their digital chaos. Whatever their circumstances, one thing remains clear: it’s crucial to strengthen your IT systems against all threats all the time.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT p rofessionals.

How to Future Proof Your IT Infrastructure in 2023

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Sep 2023

Technology advances at a rapid pace, and this means you need to build scalability into your IT infrastructure to maintain future productivity.

Businesses need to future proof their IT infrastructure to ensure long-term success and sustainability. After all, technology is constantly evolving, and failing to adapt can result in outdated systems which hinder growth, productivity, and competitiveness. But if you adopt a culture of future proofing, you can minimize this risk by using new technology to enhance scalability and maximize your productivity. Implementing scalability, however, is easier said than done. And that’s why we’ve decided to give you a head start with some suggestions.

The Best Future Proofing Methods for Success

If you want to make sure that your IT infrastructure remains relevant and keeps one eye on the future, make sure you adopt these best practices for future proofing:

Use the cloud: one of the simplest ways to future proof your IT operations is by adopting cloud-based solutions. With a wide range of providers and plans available, you can use cloud-based platforms to take care of your storage, software, and infrastructure. Best of all, these services can easily be upgraded to cope with future demand, this makes cloud computing the epitome of scalability and reduces the risk of your in-house hardware becoming obsolete.

Invest for the future: while it may make financial sense, in the short term, investing in low quality IT hardware will only ever provide a short term solution. You see, given how fast technology evolves, if you buy IT equipment at the cheaper end of the market, its performance levels will soon be superseded by newer technology. Therefore, while remaining financially sensible, make sure you invest in the best technology you can afford to increase its lifespan and suitability for your needs.
Virtualization: this creates virtual versions of resources and allows your business to optimize your equipment and reduce costs. Virtualization optimizes your resources by consolidating multiple virtual machines onto a single server, this approach will reduce costs and enhance efficiency. It also helps to future proof your IT infrastructure as it allows you to scale resources up or down quickly based on demand. So, not only is your system flexible and scalable, but it also provides a strong foundation for your IT infrastructure going forwards.
Watch technology: if you want to future proof your businesses IT operations, then it’s crucial that you keep an eye on what’s happening in the world of technology. This will ensure that you are aware of innovative opportunities for growth within your business. More importantly, it will give you time to plan and implement these innovations early on compared to your competitors. This will give you not only a competitive edge, but it will also allow you to anticipate changes in customer behavior.
Strengthen your security: cyber criminals are constantly updating their methods of attack, so you need to keep pace with them to secure your IT infrastructure. Accordingly, always make sure that your antivirus software is up to date and that your employees are educated about upcoming, as well as contemporary, threats. These simple steps will help facilitate the future security of your IT systems.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Microsoft Teams at Risk of Letting Malware In

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Aug 2023

Microsoft Teams has experienced a surge in popularity among businesses since the pandemic, and this makes it a highly prized target for hackers.

Businesses find Microsoft Teams a powerful tool as it allows employees to work remotely, communicate and be productive. And it’s all through one app. This is why it’s a fantastic business solution and used by 280 million people. Naturally, the size of this audience is going to turn a threat actor’s head. Where there are high numbers of users, there’s an opportunity for malware to be successful. And that’s why the discovery of a vulnerability in Teams has caused so much concern.

The Vulnerability Lying Within Microsoft Teams

One of the main uses of Teams is as a communication tool, a nd this means that the potential for spreading malware via file transfers and linked hard drives is high. But this newly discovered vulnerability is very different. Therefore, it’s important you understand the threat it poses.

Now, Microsoft Teams allows you to communicate with a wide range of people within your organization. It also allows you to communicate with external parties e.g. subcontractors, clients and facility management teams. Usually, these external users are unable to transmit files to other organizations through Teams. And this is a good thing, as it lowers the risk of malware being sent between businesses.

However, the security protocols which are in place to stop unauthorized file sending can, it turns out, be compromised. Once this vulnerability is exploited, a threat actor can start sending malware direct to the Teams inbox of staff within that business. Often, the threat actors are increasing the chances of their attack being successful by setting up similar email addresses to that of their target. All it takes is for one employee to open the malware and it can start to spread.

While the incoming message will still be tagged as “External”, the busy nature of many employees’ days means that it’s likely this message will be ignored. Also, this method of attack is relatively new. Users are well drilled in the telltale signs of a phishing email, but a Teams instant message is very different. Accordingly, the risk of falling victim to this attack is concerning.

Staying Safe on Microsoft Teams

Curiously, Microsoft has advised that this vulnerability doesn’t, at present, warrant fixing. No doubt, at some point, it will be patched, but for now you should remain cautious. To help strengthen your defenses, make sure you practice the following:

Always update: there’s never an excuse for not carrying out software updates once they are available. It’s the quickest and simplest way to plug weak points in your cyber defenses, so, if they are not already in place, setting up automatic updates should be your priority.

Warn your staff: make sure that your staff are aware of this new threat to minimize the risk of your business falling victim. You can achieve this by sending out email updates to your staff and also updating your IT induction process to cover this new form of attack.

Reduce your availability: it’s possible to limit your communication through Teams to specific domains only. Again, this reduces your risk by ensuring that your staff can only communicate with trusted sources and not threat actors operating from similar, yet malicious domains.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Every business wants their IT infrastructure to be secure, so it’s crucial that you understand all your options. And two of the best are an SOC and an NOC.

A Security Operations Center (SOC) and a Network Operations Center (NOC) are exciting options for your defenses, but not everyone knows what they are. The good news is that both of these options, which can be based in-house or outsourced to external contractors, are here to protect your IT operations. And they both do this with a high level of sophistication, which ensures that cybersecurity threats are quickly identified and nullified.

How Does an SOC Protect Your IT Infrastructure?

Integrating an SOC into your cybersecurity strategies is one of the quickest ways to enhance your defenses. In short, an SOC is a dedicated team of professionals who can provide 24/7 monitoring of your IT systems. Their main duties include:

Maintenance: one of the surest ways to keep any system operating effectively is through routine and preventative maintenance. And this is a duty which an SOC will take in its stride. From initiating and installing updates through to updating firewalls and managing backup protocols, a dedicated SOC will ensure that none of these vital tasks are missed.
Creating response plans: in the case of a security incident, your organization needs to have a solid response plan ready to go. This could involve restoring data from backups, partitioning your networks, or even shutting your entire IT infrastructure down. Regardless of the strategy, you need to make sure that the perfect response plan has been formulated. And, thanks to the experience of those employed in an SOC, you can rest assured that your response minimizes disruption.
Monitoring: security incidents can strike your organization at any time of day, so it’s important that you have round-the-clock monitoring to flag up any attacks. An SOC can take care of this by not only monitoring network activity, but also analyzing it to provide a strong determination as to the threat level posed. This allows the SOC team to quickly identify potential threats and react accordingly.

Why Does Your Organization Need an NOC?

IT networks are complex, highly complex. This means that monitoring them effectively is difficult, but crucial when it comes to securing them. It’s difficult for your standard IT team to dedicate themselves to this task, so this is why the emergence of NOCs is so exciting for organizations. With an NOC supporting your IT infrastructure, you can expect 24/7 coverage in the following areas:

Network monitoring: an NOC can provide your organization with constant network monitoring and surveillance. This monitoring will cover all of the most common elements found in a network such as servers, routers, and switches. It’s an approach which is not only comprehensive, but also allows the NOC team to minimize any disruptions to your network.
Enhanced security: the main aim of a threat actor is to bypass the security of your network, and it’s very easy for them to sneak in when a vulnerability is in place. However, the presence of an NOC team means that not only will updates and patches be installed quickly, but their constant monitoring of your network will allow them to identify any unauthorized access.
Performance monitoring: given the level of competition within business in the 21^st century, your organization’s network needs to perform at a high level. Monitoring the complexities of an IT network, though, is a tough ask. But the experience of an NOC team means they can easily analyze your network performance, and then suggest plans for improving and maximizing its output.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Malicious Code Found Embedded in Steam Downloads

Hackers Unmasked: Who Are They and What Motivates Them?

Microsoft Teams at Risk of Letting Malware In

The Importance of an SOC and NOC in Business IT

Category Archives: security