Online criminals take aim at games

By
Follow google news

Virtual goods prove soft target.

Online criminals take aim at games
Online criminals are increasingly targeting online games in an effort to rob players from their virtual assets, which are then sold on auction websites.

Security vendor Trend Micro last year reported more than 3,600 spyware attacks that prey on login and password information for online games such as Second Life, Lineage and World of Warcraft.

The password stealers are often spread through spam email messages where they are presented as virtual goods or popular media content such as music or movie files.

The thieves can auction off virtual currencies and accessories such as clothing and weapons. World of Warcraft avatars can fetch several hundred dollars on auction sites. After the auction has ended, the seller and buyers will meet each other inside the game to handle the final transaction.
Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Copyright ©v3.co.uk
Tags:

Most Read Articles

The BoM has finally tamed SSL

The BoM has finally tamed SSL

Commercial spyware targeted Samsung Galaxy users for months

Commercial spyware targeted Samsung Galaxy users for months

Westpac factors post-quantum cryptography prep into "secure router" rollout

Westpac factors post-quantum cryptography prep into "secure router" rollout

Researcher trawls cybercrime sites, collects billions of stolen credentials

Researcher trawls cybercrime sites, collects billions of stolen credentials

Log In

  |  Forgot your password?