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ESET states that its analysts have discovered that add-ons for the open-source media player Kodi are infected with malware and are targeted at Windows and Linux users. This is apparent from a report that has yet to be published.

ZDNet states that today on the basis of notification from the firm. At least three popular places where Kodi add-ons can be downloaded appear to contain the malware. It turns users’ computers into cryptominers and does so without their noticing. As a result, several thousand dollars of cryptographic currency have been mined.

Illegal streams

Kodi, who once carried the name XBMC, is legal to use. The service has become quite popular recently, as users gain access to illegal content. For example, it contains illegal streams for videos and live television services, allowing users to watch illegal content for free.

In the case of three popular places where the add-ons for Kodi can be downloaded, cryptomining code was found. It concerns the site Bubbles, Gaia and XvBMC. According to the report, all three places have now been taken offline, due to claims of piracy and copyright infringement.

Widespread phenomenon

It is estimated that the miners have reached a total of 4,700 devices and together account for 62 monero coins. They have a combined value of $7,000 at the time of writing. So it’s not much, but as cryptominers are becoming an increasingly widespread phenomenon, the total damage could be considerable.

The researchers also report that there is no reliable way to find out whether a user of one of these three add-on download sites is actually infected. The main risk is that the processor of a device is unnecessarily loaded and, as a result, may be damaged.

This news article was automatically translated from Dutch to give Techzine.eu a head start. All news articles after September 1, 2019 are written in native English and NOT translated. All our background stories are written in native English as well. For more information read our launch article.