Malicious keylogger malware found lurking in highly publicized GTA V mod
GTA Forums member aboutseven first noticed Angry Planes misbehaving, Kotaku reports. He became suspicious when he noticed an odd C# compiler program running in his system processes, sending and receiving data across the web. Further digging revealed a Fade.exe executable buried in his PC's Temporary Files folder, keeping logs of his activity and altering the Windows registry to silently launch at system boot. Gulp.
Aboutseven eradicated Fade.exe from his system, but noticed it sprung back to life whenever he ran GTA V with mods installed. After a bit more trial and error, he pinpointed the Angry Planes mod as the culprit. Another mod dubbed "No Clip" was also found to contain the malware.
Why this matters: Bad guys always find a way to ruin a good thing. But this fiasco drives home an important point: Mods are software designed to run on your system, and you should religiously scan all software you download with anti-virus and anti-malware tools before you run them. Yes, even mods.
If you need some AV recommendations and don't have a dime to spare on premium suites, PCWorld's guide to building the ultimate free security suite can point you in the right direction.
The dangers of Angry planes
So what, exactly, does Fade.exe do Fellow GTA Forums member ckck performed an analysis after also being infected by Angry Planes and claims the Trojan malware used his PC to participate in a DDoS attack against a Twitch game streamer. He also says he found the following modules active inside the malware:
Fortunately, GTA5-mods.com--one of the sites that hosted the malware-ridden mods as well as many, many more legit GTA V mods--promptly removed the offenders, issuing a public apology and explanation. If you've used Angry Planes or No Clip with GTA V, perform an anti-malware scan with one of the AV programs that detects the malicious file. Since the keylogger malware monitors Steam, Facebook, and Twitch, you'll want to change your passwords for those services, as well. Heck, changing all your passwords would be the smartest idea.