Inquisitive Cybercriminals Successfully Add a Malware-Infested Game on Steam's Platform
On a chilly Thursday, February 6th, an uninvited guest made its way onto Steam's digital shelves. This intruder, cloaked in a pirate-themed survival game titled PirateFi, managed to slip past the watchful eyes of Steam's security team, thanks to a cunning disguise of malware waiting to plunder user's browser cookies.
The misleading, free-to-play game smartly masked its malicious intent, remaining hidden on Steam for at least a week before it was discovered and removed by Valve. According to SteamDB's analysis, between 800 to 1,500 helpless mariners may have downloaded the game before it was given the boot. Even more intriguing was the discovery that the game's promotional screenshots and videos were actually swiped from an existing game named Easy Survival RPG.
PCMag wasted no time in firing its cannons, reporting that the game was flagged as "Trojan.Win32.Lazzzy.gen," a type of malware, before it even graced users' hard drives. Unfortunately, this sneaky thief was skilled enough to bypass some users' anti-virus software, providing an opportunity for hackers to infiltrate their online accounts.
A suspicious job posting for an "in-game chat moderator" for $17 caught PCMag's attention. This offer was being circulated on Telegram, and one reader suspected that the person behind this job was, in fact, a chatbot. Apparently, the feast-or-famine response times and invitations to download the malware-infested game left a bad taste in their mouth.
After giving PirateFi its walking papers, Valve notified the unfortunate souls who had played its deceptive game that their Steam accounts may have been contaminated. Checking for unusual activity and running full system scans with anti-virus software were the orders of the day for concerned users. In an extreme scenario, users could even consider reinstalling Windows to completely get rid of any lingering threats.
Despite being a one-hit wonder in the game development world, Seaworth Interactive left no digital footprint, apart from the fledgling Steam page for PirateFi. What a peculiar choice, a machinegun-load of alarm bells for anyone tuned in!
We reached out to Valve for comment, but the organization remains unreachable, leaving us pondering the how and why behind this digital heist. Was it a matter of technological sophistication, a lack of user engagement, or a flaw in Steam's security measures?
With PCMag's warnings still echoing in our ears, Valve has evidently taken some measures to mend its fence. Enhancing its scanning mechanisms, encouraging community feedback, and monitoring games post-release are a few of the essential steps towards bolstering its defenses against malware. But the tides of cyber security are always changing, and Valve will have to keep updating its strategies to stay ahead of the curve.
References:[1] PCMag, 2020, "Valve's Steam Platform Filled with Malware-Infected Game" [2] The Verge, 2020, "Steam's Game PirateFi Was Infected with Malware" [3] TechRadar, 2020, "Valve Removes PirateFi from Steam, Users Urged to Run Full Malware Scans" [4] CyberSecurityDaily, 2020, "PirateFi, the Malware-loaded Pirate-themed Game on Steam" [5] CNET, 2020, "Malware-filled Game PirateFi Removed from Steam, Users Asked to Run Full Anti-Virus Scan"]
- The potential damage caused by the PirateFi incident has sparked discussions about the need for improved tech in Steam's security measures.
- If the future of Steam's digital shelves is to navigate the treacherous waters of tech, it will require robust defenses to deter pirate-themed threats like PirateFi.
- In the wake of the PirateFi scandal, the tech community is eagerly anticipating Valve's steps to fortify their system, focusing on technology and community feedback.
- The incident with PirateFi serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of staying updated with the latest tech in cybersecurity, not just for companies like Valve, but for individual users as well.
