Online Poker Players, Beware of a New Virus

Whether you’re doing it for fun or actual financial gain, online poker players, beware of a new virus out there that is targeting your computer and essentially eliminates the possibility of pulling the almighty bluff.

It’s an essential part of poker to be able to fool your opponents that your cards are better than theirs, no matter on what hand you stand. It’s a crucial aspect that all good players master, and while that element has been slightly reduced through the online version of the gambling game, it’s still important.

There’s no longer the factor of reading faces and gestures, but a simple matter of reading betting patterns, now watching online players how they raise the stakes or when they fold. However, a malicious spyware is now set to ruin even that last bit by allowing scammers to cheat.

The Trojan virus, dubbed Win32/Spy.Odlanor is being downloaded by online players through torrents on mostly files that are aimed at to help them in their quest of being better at poker, such as Poker Office, Poker Calculator Pro and many others.

It gives their creators a distinct advantage that, after the virus has spread, it sends the player’s ID back to them, showing them a clear screenshot of the cards in their hands. Essentially, the virus tells its originator what hand their opponent is holding, which is definitely the biggest cheat that could ever be pulled while playing poker.

The hacker has instant access to a screenshot of your hand, enters the same game room, and then knows precisely how to play against you with perfect knowledge of your cards.

The virus has been said to affect online poker players that venture on PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, two websites that are avidly used and famous among the community. It has already affected hundreds of players, and there’s so far no solution found to remove it.

It has been active since March 2015, and it’s mainly a concern around Eastern European countries, such as Russia or Ukraine, swindling many out of their money through a simple computer virus. The issue has not yet been confirmed, but it has been suggested that it can also offer further access to private details on your computer, such as accounts and passwords.

ESET is investigating the issue and attempting to find a better way to detect the source of the problem, but so far there are no solutions. The only manner in which to keep your computer safe is to have an up to date antivirus to prevent the issue from beginning.

Image source: poker.co.uk