Some of the most popular games across different platforms, seem to have fallen victim to malware that is comprising user data. Games such as Roblox, FIFA, PUBG and Minecraft are among 28 games that were exploited by malware. These attacks were conducted between July 2021 and June this year, affecting more than 3,84,000 users using around 92,000 malicious files.
A report by Kapersky has highlighted that other big series of games released during the last year including Elden Ring, Halo, and Resident Evil were also actively abused by attackers who spread ‘RedLine’ malware under their guise.
According to the researchers, RedLine is a password-stealing software, which extracts sensitive data from the victim’s device such as passwords, saved bank card details, cryptocurrency wallets and credentials for VPN services.
The stealer can pinch usernames, passwords, cookies, bank card details and autofill data from Chromium- and Gecko-based browsers, data from cryptowallets, instant messengers and FTP/SSH/VPN clients, as well as files with particular extensions from devices. In addition, RedLine can download and run third-party programs, execute commands in cmd.exe and open links in the default browser. The stealer spreads in various ways, including through malicious spam e-mails and third-party loaders.
“Cybercriminals are creating more and more new schemes and tools to attack players and steal their credit card data and even game accounts, which can contain expensive skins that can later be sold. For example, strikes on e-sports, which are now gaining huge popularity around the world,” said Anton V. Ivanov, senior security researcher at Kaspersky.
In addition to the large number of downloaders that are able to install other unwanted programmes and adware, researchers also detected Trojan Spies – a category of spyware capable of tracking any data entered on the keyboard and taking screenshots.
Mimicking the whole interface of in-game stores for “CS:GO, PUBG and Warface”, scammers create fraudulent pages, offering potential victims a decent arsenal of various weapons and artifacts for free.
To receive the gift, players need to enter login data for their social network accounts, such as Facebook or Twitter.
After taking over accounts, attackers are likely to search through personal messages for card details, or ask various friends of the victim for money, preying on their trust and carelessness, said researchers.
The number of users attacked by malicious software, which gathers sensitive data and spreads under the guise of some of the most popular gaming titles, has increased by 13 percent compared to the first half of 2021.
In attempts to download new games from untrustworthy resources for free, players actually received malicious software, losing their gaming accounts and even money.
The self-spreading bundle with RedLine is a prime example of this: cybercriminals lure victims with ads for cracks and cheats, as well as instructions on how to hack games. At the same time, the self-propagation functionality is implemented using relatively unsophisticated software, such as a customized open-source stealer.