WARNING - INFECTED SKINS

I'm posting a warning again because I noticed that people are still downloading the infected skins that are being uploaded to the main Rainmeter Gallery. And while dA is removing the reported ones, some of them have been in the rainmeter gallery for 2+ weeks. The 16 skins in the screenshot above are still in the gallery and ALL HAVE MALWARE!

The Rainmeter community is actively monitoring this situation and are testing every skin and reporting them to dA. We are trying to work with dA in resolving this situation, but it is difficult since it's not our website. And ultimately, it's not in our power to implement the changes we would like to see happen. We are also keeping a blog [link] updated with information on every infected skin as they are uploaded.

What to watch out for:
- they are fairly new to dA, just a couple of new skins
- their profile page is pretty bare, nothing personal
- comments are usually disabled or hidden
- we will place warnings on their profile page if it's not disabled
- they rip a skin/preview/description then upload it with malware or keyloggers
- downloads are zipped and have an .exe file which is the virus
- don't download files like Build.exe, Run.exe, Installer.exe, name.rmskin.exe

How to test each download for a virus:
- Right-click 'Download File' link, choose 'Copy Link Location'
- Go to VirusTotal at [link] and choose the Submit a Url tab
- Paste the link location in the 'Search Bar' and press 'Submit Url'
- Click on 'View downloaded file analysis'
- The results are 0 to 40 and viruses are listed in red on the right
- This service is free, but no guarantee that it catches all malware

On April 28, dA changed their Deviation Report to include Malware and Warez reports. It will hopefully speed up the removal of infected skins. They are also looking into including a virus-checker for submissions.

If you follow the tips above, scan the deviation before downloading it and scan your system regularly with antivirus and malware programs, you should be able to enjoy the legitimate rainmeter skins that are in the gallery.

Keep safe,
Karen

And remember, all those skins shown above have been stolen from the original skinners, uploaded here with malware using the skinner's code, preview and description. If there's a skin above that you would like, go to our blog [link] where I've included links to the stolen skin, original skinner and virus report.