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Viruses and other malicious files are very common. Unfortunately, hackers and computer criminals have found in video games a new vehicle to distribute malware and infect thousands of innocent users. As you can imagine, there are titles that are more popular among criminals to carry out this kind of malicious activity.
This week, SecureList from cybersecurity firm Kaspersky released a new report revealing the titles most used by hackers to distribute malware. The investigation included data from July 2021 to June 2022, a period in which more than 91,000 malicious files were detected that were distributed through fake copies of popular games or tools related to them.
For the purpose of this investigation, the company specialized in computer security made a list of the 28 most popular games and franchises available on Origin and/or Steam, as well as on other platforms. The methodology consisted of analyzing the statistics of the Kaspersky Security Network (KSN), a system that processes anonymous data on cyber threats.
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What are the games most used by hackers to distribute malware?
Research results show that Minecraft is the most popular game among hackers to distribute viruses. Specifically, 23,239 malicious files related to Mojang’s work were detected, leaving a balance of 131,005 affected users.
On PC, the 5 most used proposals as a decoy to infect users with malware were Minecraft, Roblox, need for speed, Grand Theft Auto Y Call of Duty. In the field of mobile devices we find similarities, but there are also surprises such as PUBG Y FIFA.
According to the company, the 91,984 malicious files that were detected and reviewed for the purpose of this investigation affected 384,224 users between July 2021 and June 2022.
The report indicates that in many cases the virus was included in supposed tools that allowed users to cheat in games. Thus, multiplayer proposals such as Minecraft Y Roblox they were targeted by hackers.
“The worrying thing is that the target audience for these games are children and teenagers, who have less knowledge about cybersecurity issues due to lack of experience. This is why we assume that they could become easy prey for cybercriminals,” Kaspersky said in the report.
Finally, the security firm also claims that players often download the malware by trying to get the game from third-party sites instead of buying it from the official portals. It also explains that users looking for free illegal copies are likely to run into viruses, which can steal personal data.
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But tell us, what do you think of these data? Let us read you in the comments.
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