He backed up his save files to a USB drive. He downloaded Windows Media Creation Tool. He wiped the entire SSD. He reinstalled Windows, Steam, and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition from scratch.
Nothing strange there—Steam always checks credentials. age of empires 2 definitive edition tampering detected
Marco exhaled. He didn’t finish the campaign that night. He just built a single house, saved, and went to bed. He backed up his save files to a USB drive
“That’s impossible,” he whispered. He reinstalled Windows, Steam, and Age of Empires
Marco’s blood went cold. He didn’t have a driver named that.
The game launched. The main menu music—that triumphant, swelling orchestra—filled his headphones. He loaded his Lombard save. He clicked a villager. He heard the familiar “Buildius!”
A quick search revealed the truth. SystemIntercept.sys was a signature of a rare, poorly written piece of malware called It didn’t steal credit cards. It didn’t encrypt files for ransom. It did one thing: it hooked into running processes and injected DLLs to mine a now-defunct cryptocurrency.