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© 2025 NZ Herald 4:05am Hundreds of Minecraft mods on GitHub are infested with hard-to-spot spyware
Let’s say, as a thought experiment, that you’re a malware developer. You can choose to target specific groups of people to distribute your nefarious payloads. You might just go for a scattershot approach, but that’s less effective. You might aim for the technologically unsophisticated, or older people who aren’t as engaged. Or you can go for the lowest-hanging fruit: kids playing video games.
That seems to be the choice for the latest batch of spyware, which is hiding in mods for the indefatigable Minecraft, now getting a predictable boost from a smash-hit kid’s movie. According to Check Point Research (via Bleeping Computer), a “multistage campaign” is going after Minecraft players looking for game mods on GitHub.
The “Stargazers Ghost” network, allegedly a for-hire operation based in a Russian-speaking country, targets login information for the Minecraft game account, other third-party launchers, social media, and text app info. A second-stage program will try to steal more personal info in browser caches and other apps, with an emphasis on logins, passwords, and of course, cryptocurrency.
The malware campaign has been spread across more than 500 GitHub repositories according to the report, and it’s a sneaky one, hiding in Minecraft Java installers to bypass many antivirus scans. Hiding this stuff on GitHub (which, like Minecraft itself, is owned by Microsoft) is particularly nefarious. While it’s mostly used for collaborative software development, downloads for software meant for end-users is now frequently hosted on GitHub itself. The technical interface and jargon might make it seem a little more trustworthy than a sketchy download site to an uncritical eye, or indeed, a child.
GitHub does police its repositories for malware and other threats. But a centralized, company-based security team can often be overwhelmed by attackers based on numbers alone, to say nothing of a sophisticated campaign from a team of dedicated developers.
To protect yourself or your kids when looking for Minecraft mods, Bleeping Computer recommends checking out GitHub page thoroughly, and testing mods on a “burner” account. Alternatively, I might suggest locking down a kid’s computer and telling them they have to stick to the official mods available in the “Bedrock Edition” of the game.
© 2025 PC World 3:35am  
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Windows 11’s Snipping Tool now creates DIY animated GIFs
Microsoft is adding a long overdue function to Windows 11’s popular Snipping Tool (accessible via Win + Shift + R): The screen capture tool can now create animated GIFs directly.
The new feature is available immediately, Microsoft says. However, it is only available to Windows Insiders in the Dev and Canary channels who are testing new Windows 11 versions in advance.
No additional tool required for animated GIFs
Until now, the Snipping Tool could only save screenshots in JPG, PNG and static GIF formats. Video recordings can only be recorded in MP4 video format. However, anyone who wanted to create short, easily shareable GIF animations of screen recordings – for tutorials, bug reports or explanations, for example – previously had to use third-party tools such as ShareX or ScreenToGif.
With the update to the new Snipping Tool, those diversions is no longer necessary. The new “Create GIF” option allows users to start a recording directly after selecting the screen section and then save it as a GIF animation or share it directly in an email, in a chat or on a website — no extra video player or conversion software required.
Microsoft
You can choose to export in “low” or “high quality”. The maximum length of such animated GIFs is 30 seconds. If the length is exceeded, the user can only export the screen recording as an MP4 video.
Particularly practical: the feature also works in multi-monitor setups and can be conveniently controlled using a compact overlay.
The GIF export function is currently only available in the Insider versions of Windows 11 from 11.2405.24.0. Microsoft has not yet announced when it will be released for all users. However, it can be assumed that the feature will be available to the general public in the course of the summer with a regular Windows update – possibly as part of the next “Moment” release or as an update for Windows 11 version 24H2.
Further reading: These 13 tips will make you a Windows 11 master
© 2025 PC World 3:35am 
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