If you’re curious about running PlayStation games unofficially on your PC, watch out for malware disguised as emulators.
Hackers are creating malicious domains that impersonate the AnyPS5 and KytyPS5 projects. NordVPN security researchers identified the threat circulating on GitHub, a website software developers routinely use to post open-source projects.
AnyPS5 and KytyPS5 have official pages on GitHub, but new users unfamiliar with the projects or GitHub could easily fall for the look-alike domains. “Both projects have attracted strong interest from gamers eager to play PS5 titles without owning the console,” NordVPN notes. (AnyPS5 can actually port and run PS5 games natively on Windows and Linux, thus it technically isn’t an emulator.)
The malicious GitHub pages were circulating a ZIP file containing Windows malware designed to steal passwords and other sensitive data. It will first check to see if it’s running on an actual Windows PC, versus a security researcher’s virtual sandbox environment, and will exit “silently if the computer has less than 2GB of RAM, runs on a virtual machine, uses a cloud server, or lacks a physical graphics card,” NordVPN says. “If the checks pass, the malware quietly adds exclusion rules to Microsoft Defender so the antivirus will never scan the folders where it operates.”
The VPN provider examined two samples of the malicious installer, which were built a day apart, starting on Oct. 10. On Oct. 9, the Discord chat for the AnyPS5 community also warned about a lookalike domain, writing: “Just to let you know, the repository at https://github.com/AnyPS5/AnyPS5 doesn’t belong to us. It most likely contains malicious code. Stay vigilant.”
The GitHub page is gone, but NordVPN still cautions: “The campaign is distributed through rapidly rotating GitHub repositories and is likely extended to other code-hosting sites.”
On Oct. 10, one Reddit user also reported falling for the malware. “I just got infected by fake AnyPS5 installation downloaded from GitHub,” they wrote. “Forgot to check the author and boom. Minutes after launching the fake installer I suddenly got 3 emails saying that 3 of my accounts are getting hacked —EA app, Epic Games and Steam. Fortunately he or it couldn’t get my Steam acc. and EA and EG are old unused accounts that have nothing to steal (or they have?…). 15 years of using PCs without getting infected and today is the day.”
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Others have reported hackers trying to trick users into installing malware through the troubleshooting section on KytyPS5’s GitHub page.
(Credit: Discord)
NordVPN adds that “emulation fans are a perfect target” since they’re used to downloading experimental software from unofficial sources. “So nothing about this feels suspicious,” NordVPN CTO Marijus Briedis says. “But this is not an emulator. It steals your data, hides from your antivirus, and erases its own tracks before you notice anything is wrong.”
Hence, interested users should double-check that they’re visiting the actual GitHub pages for the emulation projects by looking for sustained activity, such as the number of stars and forks it’s received.
About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Principal Reporter
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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