November 8, 2023 A report from cybersecurity firm Kaspersky found that Minecraft was the most targeted game by cybercriminals in 2023. The report, which examined data from July 2022 to July 2023, found that Minecraft accounted for over 70% of all game-related malware detections.
Kaspersky researchers say that cybercriminals are increasingly using popular games as lures to spread malware. This is because gamers are an attractive target for cybercriminals, as they are often willing to download files or click on links without verifying their authenticity. This can result in their computers being infected with malware.
The researchers also found that phishing pages using popular game titles and platforms as bait were a common tactic used by cybercriminals. These phishing pages often look like official game websites or login pages. Once a user enters their credentials on a phishing page, the cybercriminal can steal their information.
Between July 2022 and July 2023, Kaspersky detected 4,076,530 desktop infection attempts, affecting 192,456 gamers worldwide. Downloaders constituted 89.70% of threats, followed by Adware (5.25%) and Trojans (2.39%).
“Minecraft” emerged as the most enticing lure, responsible for 70.29% of detections, followed by “Roblox” (20.37%), “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” (4.78%), and “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” (2.85%).
The sources for this piece include an article in SECURELIST.
