piracy | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a new campaign that has used cracked software distribution sites as a distribution vector for a new version of a modular and stealthy loader known as CountLoader. The campaign "uses CountLoader as the initial tool in a multistage attack for access, evasion, and delivery of additional malware families," Cyderes Howler Cell Threat Intelligence team said in an analysis. CountLoader was previously documented by both Fortinet and Silent Push, detailing the loader's ability to push payloads like Cobalt Strike, AdaptixC2, PureHVNC RAT, Amatera Stealer, and PureMiner. The loader has been detected in the wild since at least June 2025. The latest attack chain begins when unsuspecting users attempt to download cracked versions of legitimate software like Microsoft Word, which causes them to be redirected to a MediaFire link hosting a malicious ZIP archive, which contains an encrypted ZIP file and a Microsoft Word document wi...

Kickass Torrents (KAT cr) was once a hugely popular online portal, renowned for its vast archive of movies, music, TV shows, and other media. It was a treasure trove for those seeking rare content and for users looking to share their creations. However, Kickass Torrents faced significant opposition. The movie and music industries saw the site as a threat to their revenue, accusing it of promoting copyright infringement. Despite this, the Kickass Torrents team continued to advocate for its users, claiming they were providing a valuable service. The Downfall and Resurgence of Kickass Torrents Eventually, legal action caught up with Kickass Torrents. In July 2017, U.S. authorities shut down the site after its owner, Artem Vaulin, was charged with allowing the distribution of copyrighted material. Following the shutdown, a group of loyal contributors founded the Katcr.co forum, aiming to restore the popular torrent site to its former glory. Many wondered if this was the end for Kicka...

The UK High Court has ordered  BSkyB , BT , Virgin Media and three other UK broadband providers to block access to three music and movie file-sharing websites  Kickass Torrents , H33T and Fenopy. Judge Richard Arnold said   that t hese websites  infringed 10 music companies copyrights on an industrial scale. He  granted an order to 10 record labels including EMI, Sony and Universal against six UK internet service providers requiring them to take measures to block or at least impede access by their customers to these three file-sharing websites. " The orders are necessary and appropriate to protect the intellectual property rights of the claimants and other copyright owners. "  Judge said.  The ISPs have been given 15 working days to block access to the sites.  Each ISP will decide how to warn customers and subsequently attempt to curb alleged illegal file sharing activity. Verizon decided to send a series of warni...