Some GTA V Mods May Contain Malware

It started on Reddit and went viral: someone claimed they received a computer virus from the mod they installed for Grand Theft Auto V on PC. Then someone else said they had; then someone else said they got a virus from a different mod. The existence of malware in mods seems to have taken the community by surprise, but it’s kind of something we should have expected eventually.

The most common mods cited were NoClip and Angry Planes, the latter being a mod that fills the skies of Los Santos with an endless amount of divebombing airplanes. It also installs a keylogger on your computer. If you’ve installed either of them, look for files named “init.exe” or “fade.exe” and get rid of them pronto, if it’s not too late.

If you still want to mess with mods, how do you prevent malware? The best way is to look before you download. Many mods include a comment section or ratings system below the download link. If you see a large number of people warning you about the file, don’t use it. If you see NO comments, wait until a sizable number of people have rated the mod and reported no problems — or, find the same mod on another site where it HAS been crowd-evaluated. Also, keep your computer well-protected and firewalled with the latest updates to your security and antivirus programs. Most of them will give you the option to scan any file you download by right-clicking on it and selecting “Scan with (insert malware detector here)”. Do this with any mod before you install it to the game.

Have fun out there and stay safe.