Pirated Software & Gaming Malware — MENA Credential Theft Exposure

Jordan NCSC Q3 2024 states cracked/unlicensed software is among common ways users become infected with malware; malware represented 39% of incidents in the cited quarter.

لا يثبت: Does not quantify crack-user infection prevalence or prove all malware incidents came from cracks.

Jordan NCSC Q3 2024 identifies InfoStealers among prominent national threats and references credential logs / RedLine in the local threat picture.

لا يثبت: Does not prove any specific Jordanian stealer infection originated from a crack or pirated game.

Group-IB placed Egypt #4, Türkiye #5 and Algeria #10 among global top-ten compromised-host countries in its 2024 dataset.

لا يثبت: Does not prove crack causality or intentional MENA targeting.

Kaspersky DFI reported roughly 9.7 million stolen account records associated with the Middle East in InfoStealer logs during H1 2024; Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE were prominent.

لا يثبت: Records are not unique victims and do not identify cracks as infection source.

Acronis documented fake games including Baruda Quest, Warstorm Fire and Dire Talon distributing Leet Stealer, RMC Stealer and Sniffer Stealer, primarily through Discord.

لا يثبت: Fake games are not identical to pirated games; does not prove all gaming downloads are malicious.

Regional reporting attributed to Acronis said Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Türkiye were among the most affected by the specific fake-game stealer campaign.

لا يثبت: Does not prove intentional geotargeting or general regional prevalence.

Kaspersky identified RenEngine distributed through pirated games/software, delivering Lumma, ACR Stealer and Vidar; Türkiye was among affected countries, while the campaign was characterized as opportunistic.

لا يثبت: Presence in Türkiye does not prove MENA-specific targeting; opportunistic characterization is counterevidence to broad targeting claims.

Acronis endpoint telemetry reported a global malware-detection average around 4.3% for September 2026, while Palestine was 37.4% and Iraq 27.5% in that measurement.

لا يثبت: Not population prevalence, not InfoStealer-specific, and not crack-specific.

Check Point analysis showed Egypt around 5% and Türkiye around 4% of listed Russian Market logs, while India and Brazil were higher; this supports regional presence and limits claims of unique MENA dominance.

لا يثبت: Marketplace share is not national infection rate and does not identify crack delivery.

Kaspersky reported year-over-year growth in Password Stealer activity affecting individuals and companies in the Middle East, reinforcing a broader regional credential-theft environment.

لا يثبت: Does not identify cracks as the delivery vector and does not prove ranking above every region.