MMO Players Beware: Malware Targeting Online Gamers on the Rise
So you’re visiting the World of Warcraft realm forums. It’s the usual flaming, loot drop bragging and guild drama when a new post pops up that says “Pic’s of My Teacher Nekkid!!1!”
There is a link. Do you click it? If you do, chances are that you are going to find your lvl70 paladin for sale on eBay.
In a startling report from ESET.com, the computer security site reveals that the number one worldwide malware threat for July was against online gaming.
According to the security site, malware attacks against MMO players have been the number one threat for the last three months.
More than 12 percent of all attacks are credited to the malware family known as Win32/PSW.OnLineGames. Essentially a keylogging Trojan that also sports rootkit capabilities that surreptitiously relays your information back to hackers.
According to ESET: It’s important for participants in MMORPGs (Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Games) like Lineage and World of Warcraft, as well as “metaverses” like Second Life, to be aware of the range of threats ranged against them: not just harassment nuisances like griefing and pointless quasi-viral attacks like grey goo, but phishing and other scams that can result in financial loss in the real world. Their objective in such cases is to steal account information or game items and then resell them on the black market (or at any rate on eBay).
Source: ESET
