League of Legends installer infected with malware in some Asian regions

League-of-Legends1

The official League of Legends installer was recently infected with malware, according to a report by security software company Trend Micro. The PlugX malware, which was also found in installers for Path of Exile and FIFA Online 3, primarily targeted Asian users and especially those based in Taiwan.

According to the report, the PlugX malware can be traced back to Asian Internet platform provider Garena, which has partnerships with Riot Games and EA, among others. Garena recently made a statement on the matter, stating that its “computers and patch servers were infected with Trojans.

"As a result, all the installation files distributed for the games League of Legends and Path of Exile are infected.”

Trend Micro reports that the PlugX malware allows "remote users to perform malicious and data theft routines on a system without the user’s permission or authorization".

The report continues that the launchers have been free from infection from December 29, and Trend Micro has also released a clean-up tool for anyone affected by the malware. Still, if you happen to based in Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia or Hong Kong, it's worth double checking that you're not infected.

Cheers, The Daily Dot.

Shaun Prescott

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.