HackerWars Virus Guide

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What Are Viruses?

Upload viruses to hacked servers and they earn for you in the background, using that server's hardware. Run your Collector to harvest. 10-minute minimum between collections. Four virus types total: three earn cash or BTC, one (DDoS) is attack-only.

✓ verified empirically confirmed in-game

§ legacy from HE legacy code, verified live for stated range

⚠ assumed extrapolation, not yet verified

4

The 4 Virus Types

3 earn passive income, 1 is used for attacks. Each income virus uses a different hardware stat.

WAREZ

Sells pirated software
using the server's bandwidth

Uses: NET (Mbit/s)

Earns: Cash ($)

Requires: Torrent on your server

SPAM

Sends spam emails
using the server's memory

Uses: RAM (MB)

Earns: Cash ($)

No extra software needed

MINER

Mines cryptocurrency
using the server's processor

Uses: CPU (MHz)

Earns: Bitcoin (BTC)

Requires: BTC Wallet on your server

DDOS

Botnet slave node
used for DDoS attacks

Attack only

No passive income

Requires: DDoS Breaker + 3 slaves

Each income type uses a different hardware stat (Warez=NET, Spam=RAM, Miner=CPU), so they never share earnings. Only same-type viruses split. ✓ dev-confirmed

One earner + one DDoS can both be active. The Hacked Database lets a warez/spam/miner and a DDoS virus run on the same target simultaneously. What still doesn't work: stacking two of the same type from your own installs.

R

Software Requirements

Software YOU need running on your own server (not the target).

Warez needs a Torrent on your server. No torrent, no earnings. Higher tier = more income. Aim for Fotoshop CS6 (v3.0); it's 3x the starter rate.

Torrent Name	Ver	In-Game	Earning Rate
F.L.I.E.N.D.S	1.0	$0.1/GB	$1.00/Mbit/hr	Starter
Winblows 8.1	2.0	$0.2/GB	$2.00/Mbit/hr	2x
Fotoshop CS6	3.0	$0.3/GB	$3.00/Mbit/hr	3x

* v3.0 ✓ verified v1.0 / v2.0 ⚠ assumed from $/GB ratio

Miner needs a Bitcoin Wallet on your server. No wallet, no BTC.

Spam: No Requirements

Spam runs with no extra software. Easiest virus to start with. Branch into Warez and Miner once you have a Torrent and BTC Wallet.

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Same-Type Stacking Penalty

The #1 factor that determines your per-virus earnings.

When multiple viruses of the same type are on one server, the earnings are split equally between all of them.

Same-type viruses	Your share	Visual
1 (solo)	100%
2 total	50%
3 total	33%
10 total	10%

Different types don't interfere.

A server with 5 warez + 3 miners + 0 spam? Your solo spam keeps 100%. Only same-type viruses share.

Practical tip: Before uploading, check what's already on the server. If there are 3 warez but 0 spam, place spam instead.

Watch for grief installs. Other players sometimes upload extra virus types they'll never collect — any installed, active virus still counts toward the same-type split, so it drags your share down at zero cost to them.

Spam is gated by target RAM. Most NPCs have 8.2 GB (good for spam), but a handful sit at 1.5 GB or 500 MB — check RAM before placing spam.

C

Collector Version Bonus

A flat % bonus applied to ALL your earnings when you collect.

Collector Bonus

      bonus % = collector version number

Collector Version	Bonus	Example: $1,000 base earnings
v5.0	+5%	$1,050
v15.0	+15%	$1,150
v25.0	+25%	$1,250

Upgrade your Collector first. It's a flat % on every dollar across every virus and server. Nothing else has this kind of reach.

V

Virus Version Multiplier

Higher version = slightly more earnings. Applies to all 3 virus types.

Virus Version	Multiplier	Bonus vs v1.0
v1.0	1.02x	baseline
v5.0	1.10x	+8%
v14.0	1.28x	+25%
v18.0	1.36x	+33%

Formula: virusPercent = version × 0.02 + 1 § legacy formula, verified across collected versions (v1.0–v10.1)

Don't obsess over virus version.

v1.0 to v18.0 is +33%. Solo vs. 2-way split is 3x. A v1.0 alone beats a v18.0 sharing with one other. Server choice matters more than version.

Higher versions cost more resources.

Filesize and RAM requirements increase with version. Use lower version viruses for faster uploads at the cost of slightly lower earnings.

☆

Other Modifiers

5% Bonus Chance

Each virus has a 5% chance (1 in 20) of earning double on any given collection. This is random and per-virus. You'll see "BONUS!" in your collection log when it happens.

10-Minute Minimum

You must wait at least 10 minutes between collections. Viruses accumulate earnings the longer you wait. No penalty for waiting.

Hardware Snapshot at Install

Viruses lock in the server's hardware when installed. If the server is upgraded later, your virus still earns based on the old hardware. Reinstall your virus after any hardware change to capture the new stats.

DDoS Wipes Viruses

When players complete DDoS missions against NPCs, the attack destroys hard drives, wiping all virus files. The NPC resets its hardware but the viruses are gone. Expect to reinstall periodically. It's normal upkeep.

>_ HackerWars Virus Guide