I'm not sure of this is the correct flair. I also hope this isn't against sub rules because I genuinely write this in hopes that it clarifies and is helpful for at least one person.

I've seen 2 recent posts here regarding the Anadius mirror site, which report the site as compromised. I wanted to make my own post to hopefully, explain the whole picture and help people understand and make informed decisions.

What's happening?

The TL;DR:

• The current mirror site is NOT compromised itself.
• What is compromised though, are some file hosting services linked on the mirror site (especifically multiup and buzz. If you download from gofile, mediafire or pixeldrain, you should be fine). File hosting services are the websites where the actual files you want to download are stored, these are third party services and are not inside the mirror site.
• This isn't aaros' fault or doing, this is affecting the entire piracy scene, not just The Sims 4.

So far, at this time of this post, there are several file hosting services usually used for piracy that are compromised. Several piracy related forums have posted about this, including lists of which hosting services are compromised and which ones are still safe.

So anyone who was recently been infected, it was because you were redirected to a malicious site, downloaded the wrong file (not a file created or maintained by aaros) which was malware.

What can you do to protect yourself?

• DO NOT USE GOOGLE CHROME TO DOWNLOAD. It doesn't allow full ad-blocking and it's the most used web browser in the world, so when hackers want to massively attack, they create malware to attack Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers and steal from it. Do not use Safari either, it doesn't allow ad-blocking.
• Use Firefox with uBlock Origin. uBlock Origin is an extension that blocks ads, bypasses redirects, filters out websites that you tell it are not safe, blocks scripts, etc. Using it will allow you to bypass/avoid the redirecting to malicious sites. Microsoft Edge, Opera and Brave browsers also allow uBlock Origin, but Firefox is the one where uBlock works best.
  • You don't have to completely switch browsers, but at the very least use Firefox + uBlock strictly when downloading or navigating shady websites.
• Use a download manager, like JDownloader. It's mentioned in the PiratedGames post I mentioned above for the following reason: "Using JDownloader or torrents is safer because downloads happen in their own desktop apps rather than your browser. To stay safe, copy links directly into JDownloader instead of opening them in your browser. For torrents, only use magnet links or downloaded .torrent files. If a download ever starts in your browser instead of your torrent client or JDownloader, cancel it immediately.
• Get familiar with CS RIN forum and follow the post aaros has there; it wil have the latest news, the latest safe files and any news regarding malware are also posted on CS RIN RU.

What can you do if you've already been infected or you're worried you might be?

• Download and install the free trial of Malware Bytes and perform a full scan on your computer. That's what I always do when I get a malware scare, and that's the one I've seen most recommended.

Here's 2 longer and more detailed posts (on reddit) which can help you figure out if you're infected (in case you're not sure) and/or what to do if you already are:

• Watch out for malicious redirects on download links and mirrors (Massive malware campaign breakdown) (this is more an explanatory post about the situation in detail, but it does contain steps further down).
• What to do if you've been infected by the Anadius Site (A Step-By-Step Guide) (this is more straightforward).

(Mods please don't delete this; if the links aren't allowed, let me know and I'll edit them out).

If you're gonna pirate, you HAVE to take measures to protect yourself, you HAVE to learn what you're getting yourself into. If this all sounds like too many steps or too much of trouble for you, STOP PIRATING, for your own safety.