I installed a new system. I exclusively downloaded files from audionews, and then I noticed that files were being copied randomly in my folder. After doing some research on the internet, I found out that this was a way to gain access to all my files and data. I have also noticed an attempt to steal my Steam account. Please be vigilant!

 

Download from our sister site; only there are you guaranteed to be free of viruses, Trojans, and other malware.
Change your passwords immediately and reinstall your operating system.

 

I understand that Audionews is included in the list of trusted programs. If it's not, I won't visit it again. Of course, I'm already preparing all the files that will be needed. I'll completely reinstall the system. Interestingly, I have a Nod32 antivirus installed. It blocked some keygen plugins, and I had to disable it for the key to work. I believe this was the moment when the virus was introduced to my system. But what about the plugins?

 

Ok, first things first: just what exactly was the virus that was detected? Not all reported by virus software are legit, and false positives (especially in regards with keygens and patchers) are known to occur.

And then, a lot of cracks do need all sorts of bypasses that might look like untoward activity, and even legit software resorts to various tricks to handle the installs, like spawning subshells and whatnot.

 

Sounds like a phish story.

 

who is it? Giancarlo or APmastebring?

but seriously it's a bit absurd never had any problems with anews for 18 years, it cant be from there

and how could your antivirus or firewall allow such activity
you mentioned in other thread you use virustotal to check all incoming files

 

Last edited: Nov 12, 2025 at 9:36 AM

They suspect it, but they don't know exactly where they were infected. This makes things much more difficult. Sometimes, just one click on a fake website or opening a file attachment is enough to infect you. The fact that an attempt was made to steal your Steam account is very concerning, as you may already be a victim of identity theft, or you may become one in the future.

Plugins are usually not affected; I don't know of any cases where plugins were compromised. The included keygens always only triggered false positives from the antivirus software, but no viruses.

Sometimes viruses/Trojans are hidden in software by criminals. Or you can become infected directly with a mouse click on an infected website. Check your browsing habits, verify the links you link to. Never open file attachments you don't recognize. Sometimes, hackers hijack a company, and the stolen data ends up on the dark web; sometimes, the data is even sold.

It's rather unlikely that Audionews teams like R2R, for example, distribute malware, viruses, Trojans, etc., as this would destroy their business model. Whenever you download something, your antivirus software scans the corresponding files in the background. With Windows Defender, for example, the keygen is blocked during the download.

Therefore, you should always use a trusted download source like our sister site, as you have to deactivate your antivirus software beforehand; otherwise, the keygen will be unusable or lost.

Keep in mind that antivirus software is only as up-to-date as it is updated. Software manufacturers often have open PCs on the internet where they can infect themselves with malware and then update their antivirus software.

It's better to make a complete backup of your C:/ drive to a second hard drive with an emergency CD-ROM so that you can completely restore your system in an emergency.

 

I know this is all anecdotal, but I've never had issues with AN, and nobody I know has either. That + accrued forum knowledge leads me to think it's trustworthy.

If it's indeed a virus, I suspect there's other stuff happening here.

 

Which folder, and what are the names of the files that are copied?

 

this is the issue with all these false alarms, you are going to disable the protection on a regular basis - at least when unpacking and installing things - and then a single real malware is enough to cause you trouble.

the most foreward strategy imho is not to use your work computer to download stuff.

that is also why i hate online compulsions by legit software / copy protection systems. without this kind of stuff you could just not go online with your studio machine, and simply remove the cable to control yourself.

 

Sorry Pulse... Not looking to argue or debate with you but I feel you're giving this fellow poor advice. There's no "guaranty" next door for anything. Fact is, there have been instances of some dicey releases at sister site. It's rare, but it's happened. They were removed, but that's after some people have already downloaded and installed them. Mistakes occur. Sister site is reliable but there's a difference between reliable and perfect.

The only "guaranty" you're going to get when installing warez, may it be from next door, some other warez site, or a torrent site like Audionews, is that you've done you're own due diligence and take responsibility for your own computer and what you're doing.

For me personally, that translates into not installing anything without checking it on Virustotal or a site that functions similarly. If or when there's some warnings on VT I research and make a determination as to whether or not the 'risk tolerance' is acceptable to me. No one is going to fix your OS for you when it's broken, and there are no 'guaranties' when using warez.

 

Nearly everything on there is from sister site, and not even altered. Most files can be added by downloading and then dropping in to an empty folder. If a file is not identical to the one uploaded with a .torrent file; it will not match and verify local data would fail. And it never does.
The trusted uploaders there would not even bother. For what?

I mention this every time I see people tell someone to just disable antivirus or malware scanner. You can get infected files, spyware, etc. just by normal browsing and downloading from anywhere.

 

D:/Downloads

 

We're just exchanging our experiences and opinions; you have to live with and accept other opinions and viewpoints. I've been using a PC since 1998 and haven't had antivirus software since last year. I have a good internet browser that warns me beforehand if it detects anything suspicious; it simply doesn't open the website in question. I always download from a sister site and another source.

As soon as you turn on your PC in the morning and go online, numerous dangers await you. Since antivirus software doesn't detect all newer viruses, I decided 20 years ago to make complete backups of my C:/ drive.

A friend sent me a link to reFX - Nexus 2. I clicked on it, downloaded it, and then I saw how the Polyphonic Virus was devouring my folder on C:/. I quickly unplugged the internet cable from the modem and, using an emergency disk and my backup software, restored my entire C:/ operating system within two hours.

Twice, immediately after booting up, I experienced a frozen screen with a message asking me to transfer xxx EUR to my Bitcoin account. Again, I completely restored my system using my backup software instead of spending two weeks reinstalling Windows, software, plugins, etc.
As you can see, I'm prepared and always expect viruses and Trojans—in other words, the worst-case scenario.

 

I completely agree with you. I also understand that in 2025, a well-designed virus will be completely invisible.

Yes, I am fully responsible for what I install on my computer, and I am also aware that standard antivirus programs do not detect all threats. This is why people turn to VirusTotal.

 

give us an example of a file that appears in the folder D:/Downloads
I think it's your browser playing games with you

 

Sometimes we mess with our files ourselves and forget about it. Are you sure?

How? Have you got an e-mail? Have you found a message about unusual login?

 

What was found: On my D:/Downloads drive, files are randomly creating one or more copies of files in Win 11 duplicate with (1).(2) and so on.

Second: There was an attempt to log in to my Steam account.But it is well protected so the theft failed.An extremely important note that the previous installation was a week ago.Completely on standard Windows without any builds.Yes I installed a lot of plugins, they are about 2000.Therefore the story is real.

It's a good thing that I don't store any important information on my computer. However, I can clearly see the activity that didn't exist.

 

I get a login notification on the phone associated with my account.Of course.These messages are only created when someone else tries to log in.And never again.

The fact is that I changed Win a week ago and specifically conducted an experiment before writing here. I only installed plugins from Audionews and did not visit any websites other than Youtube. I just watch different videos about plugins there. I also installed Steam to occasionally play my favorite shooter game.

 

The log-in to steam account might have happened because your e-mail address appeared on one of those big lists on dark web etc, it is very common my e-mail has appeared there too. It has nothing to do with cracks on your system. They just try to login with the email credentials, and maybe they have old password that was leaked from security vulnerability on some site.