Updated with comments from Discord.

Malicious hackers and online criminals are using Discord's file storage network to warehouse and distribute malware linked to or attached to spam emails, security firm Zscaler's new report reveals. [There is no evidence that Discord itself, one of the most popular chat services among online gamers, condones such network abuse. [According to Zscaler, the types of malware currently attacking gamers from Discord's servers include Epsilon ransomware, Redline information-stealing tools, XMRig cryptocurrency miners, and various "token stealers" that steal temporary Discord login credentials. token stealers" that steal Discord's temporary login credentials.

Windows users infected with this malware can have their files stolen, their Discord accounts hijacked, and their PCs locked.

In many cases, this malware is not spread through Discord itself, nor does it infect the Discord desktop app, according to Zscaler.

Instead, it spreads in the form of email attachments and links sent to gamers promising cheat codes, game mods, pirated games, and game-related files and images.

The emails link to Discord's Content Delivery Network (CDN) at cdn.discordapp.com The CDN is where Discord stores files containing executable applications that users upload to the chat service. The CDN is where Discord stores files containing executable applications uploaded by users to the chat service.

"Typically, the attack starts with a spam email, where users are tricked into downloading the next stage of the payload by being fooled by a legitimate template," the Zscaler report states. The campaign uses Discord's services to form a URL that hosts the malicious payload as follows: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/ChannelID/AttachmentID/filename.exe."

Because users are accustomed to sending and receiving files through Discord, they may be more likely to download files that are housed on Discord's CDN than they are to download files they trust. They often do not think twice about trusting files to be downloaded.

"An attacker can upload a malicious file to a Discord channel and share its public link with other users. Worse yet, the files sent from Discord are there permanently, so even if the attacker deletes the file in Discord, they can still use that link to download the malicious file."

The best way to avoid infecting your PC with malware delivered from Discord's CDN is to have the best antivirus software installed. Before opening the downloaded file, right-click the file in File Explorer and scan the unopened file with your antivirus software.

Be wary of email attachments or links that point to the Discord website. Also, remember that cheats, mods, and pirated games are often infected with malware.

Tom's Guide has reached out to Discord for comment and will update this article as soon as we receive a response.

In response to our inquiry, a spokesperson for Discord provided us with this statement:

"Discord relies on a combination of proactive scanning and reactive reporting to detect malware and viruses on our service We rely on a combination of proactive scanning and reactive reporting to detect malware and viruses. As soon as we become aware of such a case, we remove the content immediately. For this particular case, we investigated the situation and removed the affected content."