Super Mario Bros. It is one of the most popular video games of all time, if not the number one. Created by Nintendo in the 1980s, it has become a pop culture icon ever since.

In the franchise, there is one game that stands out from the rest: Super Mario Bros. Ultimate. 3, released in 1988 in Japan and 1990 in the United States for the NES platform. And in 2023 he returns… in the form of viruses.

a Kapersky Be warned about a copy of the malware found in a free game called Super Mario 3: Mario Forever. Obviously, this has nothing to do with Nintendo: it was created by fans and hackers use it for their cybercrime.

According to the multinational information technology security company, the virus has attacked several countries around the world, with Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, Where Latin Americans are present in the top ten in Europe, Spain and Russia stand out, while the United States, India and Algeria complete the group.

There are more than 300,000 registered attacks. But what damage does the Super Mario 3: Mario Forever virus cause?

Super Mario 3, the virus that made many people in the world cry

This malware damages the computers of the users who download the free game. The program installs the mining software SupremeBot The cryptominer is called Monero with malware Umbral Stealer.

company Kapersky Explains that the Umbral Stealer steals any information from the user, From credentials to cryptocurrency wallet keys. It also takes screenshots and takes pictures from your computer’s camera.

The malware slows down the computer, as the Monero cryptocurrency miner runs without the user noticing.

Pirated and free games from questionable sources are the perfect breeding ground for ill-intentioned cryptocurrency holders. Refers to Kapersky in his report. “Gaming PCs tend to be high specs, especially the graphics card, which is what we need primarily for mining.”

What is Kapersky’s recommendation for avoiding Super Mario 3 malware?

• download games only from official sources, Avoid pirated copies of suspicious websites.
• do not trust Free or early releases.
• Avoid saving passwords in the browser, preferring to look for a separate password manager.