How to avoid downloading malware

With the Boat Rollers now using their bots to promote dangerous links under Xarq0n's name, II figured it would be best to help guide users on how to avoid and deal with malware promoted through the game.

What's happening?

Recently, there has been a new wave of bots from the group Boat Rolling Inc. that promotes a dangerous URL under the name of fellow cheater Xarq0n.


The URL is classified as dangerous as it contains code from The Annoying Site[theannoyingsite.com] that will instantly log you out of your social media accounts, as well as accounts for Amazon, Hulu, Microsoft, Netflix, SoundCloud and Steam.

This guide is designed to help prevent users from downloading or accessing software that contains malicious code. This will not include any RCE exploits, as Valve has taken great measures to patch these vulnerabilities.[www.techspot.com]

Method 1 - Avoid taking VACations.

As TF2 is both relatively old and free-to-play, users have easy access to external cheating programs that are either free-to-use or at a hefty premium. Usually, the free versions will result in a VAC ban, but they will also contain malicious code[www.virustotal.com] that can inject and execute other trojans onto your computer.


A notable example of such malicious software is Inithook, which is a predecessor of Rathook that was secretly used to dox Xarq0n and slander him as a pedophile.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/714010/Aim_Lab?snr=1_7_15__13

A better alternative to improving your performance would be AimLab, a free-to-play aim trainer with FPS titles in mind. This will be what I use to get back into the game after I accidentally broke my right middle finger after slipping and falling in the shower earlier this month.[www.tiktok.com]

Method 2 - Avoid spammed links

Another option would be to simply avoid any links the bots promote, as they could redirect to malicious websites[youareanidiot.cc] or IP grabbers.[shrekis.life]



There will also be times where you will receive dangerous links through direct messaging. Oftentimes, the links will redirect users to either a malicious program designed to hijack users out of their Discord[discord.com] accounts or steal your login credentials.



This is a practice commonly referred to as Phishing, and will often originate from bad actors within the Russian Federation.

Method 3 - Antivirus

Arguably the best way for users to keep their computers secure is to simply install antivirus software. I have used Avast[www.avast.com] in the past, and I recommend this for most users because it is completely free-to-use.

Most PCs will often come bundled with Microsoft Defender, but they score much less in independent testing labs, and their anti-phishing measures are limited to only the Edge browser.

Outro

I hope this guide proves useful for users who wish to avoid downloading malware whilst playing Team Fortress 2. If you would like to see more content from me, I am available on the following Social platforms:

Instagram[www.instagram.com]
TikTok[www.tiktok.com]
Twitter
YouTube

[Dale]

jokes on you i like having virus anyway ill be going i found a free robux generator