Hackers have taken advantage of the debut of the new series of The Last of Us in order to collect personally identifiable information from users who are interested in playing the video game. This is just another example of those who want to see the world burn.
According to Kaspersky, malicious software has been distributed through phony video game downloads that have been distributed over the Internet. This has been done by cybercriminals in order to infect the machines of unsuspecting users who fall for the fraud.
Following an investigation carried out by the cybersecurity company, it was discovered that cybercriminals maintain a website from which they provide a link to a free download of The Last of Us Part II.
On the other hand, a PC version of the game has not yet been made available.
The first portion of the game is scheduled to be released for personal computers (PCs) in March of this year; however, the second half of the game has not even been announced for PCs and can only be played on PlayStation consoles at this time.
In order to infect people’s computers, hackers look for individuals who are ignorant of this information and take advantage of them.
Users who click on the download link of the alleged game will instead download a malicious program that will hide on the computer and allow the hackers to take information secretly without drawing attention to themselves.
After the user has downloaded the file, an activation code will be asked from them. This code can only be activated via a “gift,” such as a video gaming console or gift cards, and in order to activate it, the user will need to provide their credentials as well as their credit card information.
It is obvious that neither the game nor the presents will ever be delivered, but the hackers will be able to steal the victims’ money and use their personal information to perpetrate more frauds if they are given this information.
How can one protect themselves from being misled?
It is strongly advised not to click on any URLs that claim to stream television shows or movies in advance.
Always double check the legitimacy of a website before entering any of your personal information, and use only the official sites or platforms to stream movies or download games. It is important to pay attention to the extensions of the files that you download, since the movies you have downloaded will never have an.exe or.msi extension. Employ dependable security solutions that guard you against phishing websites and prevent the download of things that might harm your computer.
Information security specialist, currently working as risk infrastructure specialist & investigator.
15 years of experience in risk and control process, security audit support, business continuity design and support, workgroup management and information security standards.
