Scam game takes $150,000 from players

This is not the first time a Steam game has been used as a medium for malware. Photo: Shutterstock .

A game on Valve's Steam platform has just been discovered spreading malware, stealing users' cryptocurrencies, causing an estimated loss of $150,000 .

According to reports, the 2D action game BlockBlasters , released on July 30, secretly installed malware on players' computers to steal their cryptocurrency wallets.

The game was exposed live on a stream when a streamer witnessed the entire process of his $32,000 in cryptocurrency being drained from his cancer treatment fund. A team of security researchers soon stepped in and confirmed that the malware had infected at least 261 other users.

According to ZachXBT, a well-known anonymous cryptocurrency researcher who specializes in exposing scams, the malware is said to have stolen more than $150,000 from victims.

According to a report by malware library organization Vx Underground , hackers used BlockBlasters as a “Trojan horse” to carry out the attack. Since August 30, the game has been secretly supplemented with malicious files. To lure victims, hackers directly messaged cryptocurrency holders, inviting them to play the game as a form of paid promotion.

BlockBlasters ' Steam page before it was removed. Photo: Steam/Valve.

Once the user downloads the game, the malware immediately collects information from the computer, including browser extensions and cryptocurrency wallet details.

"This game has stolen over $150,000 from victims and has remained on Steam for over a month," warned Reddit user yeetordie1, along with a post by ZachXBT on X.

"It was scary. BlockBlasters developers contacted me to promote the game a few months ago. Luckily, I sensed something was wrong during the interview and blocked them. I escaped a disaster," user TopsBuy shared on X.

According to analysis by Reddit user CodeErrorv0, the malware not only targets cryptocurrency wallets but also steals browser data, including cookies. This allows hackers to directly access user accounts and can even bypass two-factor authentication (2FA).

Valve has removed BlockBlasters from the Steam store, but the move is believed to be too late. A researcher from cybersecurity firm G Data revealed that they warned Valve about the threat posed by the game a week ago.

While the victim streamer has received support from the community, the incident is still a wake-up call. This is the fourth time malware has been detected on Steam via lesser-known games, highlighting a vulnerability in Valve's censorship system.

Malware is often inserted in post-release updates, and Valve's vetting process for these files remains a big question mark.

Source: https://znews.vn/tua-game-tren-steam-chiem-doat-150000-usd-tien-ma-hoa-cua-nguoi-choi-post1587611.html