Medusa Stealer is a powerful piece of malware that has multiple capabilities. On the promotional website where it is sold, it is described as a tool for network testing, data recovery, and extraction. Additionally, Medusa Stealer is capable of stealing data, launching DDoS attacks, and even mining cryptocurrency.
Medusa Stealer is generally spread by hackers that leverage phishing and social engineering campaigns. It can also come in software bundles with other programs that computer users may be looking to install. The malicious files associated with Medusa Stealer can appear in various formats, including PDFs and Microsoft Office documents. If those files are opened on your computer, the download and installation of Medusa Stealer is initiated automatically.
Once installed on a computer, Medusa Stealer collects a wide range of data and transmits it to its operators. These kinds of malware threats are often used to harvest system information, browsing-related data, browser cookies, and stored passwords. Medusa Stealer can also launch DDoS or Distributed Denial-of-Service attacks. DDoS attacks are used to render their target websites unresponsive and unreachable.
Medusa Stealer can also mine cryptocurrency. It achieves this by taking over the hardware resources of the breached computer and then utilizing them for mining a specific cryptocurrency. Medusa Stealer victims may notice that the device’s CPU or GPU output is frequently at an extremely high or even maximum level. As a result, normal activities, such as surfing the web or watching a movie may become a time-consuming process full of freezes or even potential computer crashes. The pressure exerted on your computer could even lead to malfunctions that could reduce your device’s lifespan due to excessive heat generation.
How Do I Deal with the Medusa Stealer Infection?
To protect yourself from a Medusa Stealer attack, you should practice safe web browsing habits like refraining from opening email attachments from unknown senders and downloading programs from unreliable sources. You should also have a reputable malware remediation tool installed on your computer. That way, you can regularly scan for elements associated with this troublesome malware infection as well as other malware. Also, to reduce the potential damage of a future malware attack, please consider backing up your files on an external hard drive or cloud storage.
