This evil dropper infects you with a dozen malware strains at the same time TechRadar Skip to main content TechRadar is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us. This evil dropper infects you with a dozen malware strains at the same time By Sead Fadilpašić published 28 September 2022 NullMixer is not among the most subtle of droppers (Image credit: Shutterstock) Audio player loading… Cybercriminals have been observed using SEO poisoning to distribute a new malware loader which tries to infect the target endpoint (opens in new tab) with a dozen malware families. Researchers from Kaspersky discovered that for many people, typing the keyword "software crack" into Google brings up multiple websites distributing this new malware loader, some of which have even made it to the famed first page of the search results. The loader in question is called "NullMixer", and is designed for the Windows operating system and apparently, it installs all kinds of password stealers, viruses, backdoors, banking trojans, crypto miners, you name it. The only thing seemingly missing is ransomware. Among the malware families installed this way are Redline Stealer, Danabot, Raccoon Stealer, Vidar Stealer, SmokeLoader, PrivateLoader, ColdStealer, Fabookie, PseudoManuscrypt, and others. Baiting with cracks The attackers chose "software crack" as their main keyword, researchers believe, due to the fact that people looking for cracks will usually ignore warnings coming from their antivirus programs and install the executable files anyway. According to Kaspersky, NullMixer has so far tried to infect more than 47,000 endpoints protected by its security solutions. The victims were located all over the world, including the U.S., Germany, France, Italy, India, Russia, Brazil, Turkey, and Egypt. Read more> Here's another good reason never to use cracked software > Here's another excellent reason not to pirate your software > These are the best antivirus tools out there (opens in new tab) The researchers were also baffled by the number of malware families being installed via NullMixer. It's not exactly subtle. Devices that fall victim to this attack will become significantly slower, have windows popping up for no reason, and will showcase numerous other symptoms of infection. Kaspersky suspects that NullMixer could actually be a demonstration, showing other malware operators what it's capable of doing, until one decides to use it for their own distribution efforts. As things stand now, the best way to eliminate NullMixer from a compromised device is via a Windows reinstall.Check out the best firewalls (opens in new tab) right now Via: BleepingComputer (opens in new tab) Sead Fadilpašić Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he's written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He's also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications. See more Computing news Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to theTechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Thank you for signing up to TechRadar. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. MOST POPULARMOST SHARED1The iPhone 14 Pro is made of the wrong stuff; the Pixel 7 proves that to me2Stop saying Mario doesn't have an accent in The Super Mario Bros. Movie3Google Pixel Tablet is what Apple should've done ages ago4RTX 4090 too expensive? Nvidia resurrects another old favorite5More than one million credit card details leaked online1The iPhone 14 Pro is made of the wrong stuff; the Pixel 7 proves that to me2iPhone 15 tipped to come with an upgraded 5G chip3If this feature succeeds for Modern Warfare 2, Microsoft can't ignore it4Apple October launches: the new devices we might see this month5The Rings of Power episode 8 trailer feels like one big Sauron misdirect Technology Magazines (opens in new tab)● (opens in new tab)The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviewsFrom$12.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)