LeFlop JamesUSA12 March 2026

I pirated a game and my PC started opening PowerShell on its own

#Malware#Piracy#AccountTakeover#Discord#Anxiety

Last week I tried to download a pirated game. Shortly after, my Discord account got hacked but I caught it immediately. Then my PC started opening PowerShell by itself every 10 minutes. I checked Task Manager but nothing weird showed up.

I got advice online and nuked my device, changed all passwords, and logged out of all devices. During the entire time I remember being very anxious, thinking the hacker might beat me to taking full ownership of any account I have. I am still feeling that anxiety now. I don't fully trust that I am safe online.

A note from our team

Pirated software is one of the most common ways malware gets onto a device, and this story is a good example of how fast things can escalate. The self-opening PowerShell is a classic sign of a script running in the background, often designed to steal credentials or maintain access. The steps taken here, wiping the device, changing passwords, and logging out of all sessions, are exactly the right moves, and in the right order. That is not a small thing. A lot of people freeze or do too little. The lingering anxiety is also completely normal. Being compromised shakes your sense of control, and that feeling does not always go away the moment the technical problem is fixed. If you are reading this and feel the same way after going through something similar, that is a valid response, and not an overreaction. Give yourself time, and keep an eye on your accounts over the coming weeks for anything unusual.

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I pirated a game and my PC started opening PowerShell on its own

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