Game Sites Next Big Malware Target?

If you like playing online games, (and many people do), you could be putting yourself in a position to pick up more than just a little entertainment online. Gaming sites are becoming a growth area for malware and other security threats. The newer threats are sophisticated and are designed to draw in unsuspecting users.

Gaming and Malware Make A Great Combination

The profile of the game threat falls neatly in line with historical malware/spyware/adware campaigns that attempted to get users to download free “utilities” that were nothing more than adware or malware clients. The new approach relies on people’s desire to get something “good” for little or no cost. Adware and other malware masquerades as a game client, and people willingly load this malicious software on their computers.

The malware can provide the authors with usernames, passwords, and virtual and real assets that reside on the victim’s computer. Malware game clients typically contain Trojan programming that is designed to identify and steal user information. They attract users to the game site using paid advertising like banner ads, or embedded links in blog comments, discussion boards and other user-generated content.

Don’t assume that only illegitimate games are the target of malware authors. Legitimate gaming portals, like World of Warcraft, are plum targets for malware creators. By getting a user’s WoW account information, hackers can steal game assets that a user has accumulated or created through gameplay. These assets are then sold to other gamers who are willing to pay real cash for the virtual assets. The theft happens quickly and once the virtual assets are gone, they’re gone.

On the surface, it may not seem like a big deal, but if you’ve put your own time, effort and money into playing the games, and pay for access to gaming sites, you don’t want to compromise your gaming accounts.

Effective malware protection is a requirement if you participate in online gaming. You need to protect your computer and your gaming accounts from malware that is designed to rob you of the assets you’ve built or acquired while playing the game. Save your reliance on luck for the game itself. Don’t rely on luck to keep your computer clean and safe. Use XoftSpy SE from Spywareblockers.org to detect, remove and prevent malware infections on your computer. XoftSpy SE can help you stay safe online in online gaming environments/ It can protect the assets you’ve built and preserve your enjoyment of the online games you play.

Photo Credit: NeoDaVe, via Flickr