- A malware strain has affected millions of gaming accounts associated with popular games like Call of Duty game
- The malware steals Bitcoin and personal information
- The malware targets gamers who downloaded software to help them cheat in the game
Roughly five million gaming accounts tied to different top games, including Call of Duty, have allegedly been affected by a Bitcoin wallet-draining malware. According to reports, malware is installed on gamers’ machines after they download software to help them cheat in the game. Although the exact amount of Bitcoin is unknown, game developers like Activision Blizzard are working with cheat software providers to investigate the incident further, something that’s likely to involve millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin.
Electrum Bitcoin Wallets Targeted
According to malware tracker vx-underground, the malware targets video gamers using pay-to-cheat video game software. Affected gamers include those playing Activision Blizzard-based titles like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Diablo.
Over the past couple of days we have become aware of malware targeting gamers! More specifically, a currently unidentified Threat Actor is utilizing an infostealer to target individuals who cheat (Pay-to-Cheat) in video games.
A Call of Duty cheat provider (PhantomOverlay) was…
— vx-underground (@vxunderground) March 27, 2024
Vx-underground estimates that over 560,000 Activision Blizzard accounts have been compromised. Battle.net, a store for Activision Blizzard games, also saw over three million of its user accounts compromised.
The malware tracker disclosed that the malware steals victims’ personal information and wallet login credentials and mostly targets video game players using Electrum BTC wallets.
Cheat software provider PhantomOverlay noted that most of its alleged hacked accounts are “invalid garbage” meaning that although its user accounts were hacked, most of the data contains duplicates.
Largest Info-Stealing Campaign in History
PhantomOverlay disclosed that malware is the leading information-stealing campaign in the gaming industry.
The malware attack comes two months after cybersecurity firm Kaspersky discovered malware that targeted Bitcoin wallets on Mac computers. At the time, Kaspersky revealed that the malware was embedded in pirated software.
Although the actual damage done by the malware is unknown, it’s likely it’ll run into millions of dollars and may involve more than Bitcoin.
