Gaming fans beware: hackers are circulating a fake version of a popular PC game in order to infect millions of Windows devices and steal victims' data.

According to experts, cyber criminals are targeting PC users with a supposedly free version of one of the most popular computer games available.

Super Mario 3: Mario Forever was released as a clone of Nintendo's popular Mario series back in 2003 and has been downloaded countless times.

While it wasn't created by Nintendo themselves it is a faithful recreation of the original game.

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However, cyber criminals are taking advantage of the game's popularity by distributing a fake version of the game.

This fake version of the game is being advertised on social media platforms and downloading it will let you play it.

But it also infiltrates your computer system with malware and viruses which can steal your Internet search history, online passwords, app logins and more.

That means you could be placed at huge risk of identity theft and bank fraud if you're not careful.

Analysts at Cyble Research and Intelligence Labs warned that the game contains 'multiple malicious components' that put you at risk.

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The firm said: "Recently, CRIL identified a trojanized Super Mario Bros game installer that delivers multiple malicious components, including an XMR miner, SupremeBot mining client, and the Open-source Umbral stealer. The malware files were found bundled with a legitimate installer file of super-mario-forever-v702e."

It's worth checking to see if you've installed this game recently and scanning it with several different antivirus softwares, such as MalwareBytes or Avast.

If the file you downloaded matches the name of the one above, make sure you wipe it from your system and do a full system scan for viruses.

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