Hey everyone, can you believe a free game on Steam stole money from cancer patient? I know it sounds crazy but it really happened, and it's not just losing money, but an attachment of total sadness to someone that's going through so much already.
Here’s what the malware did:
What is even worse is that no one noticed until weeks later. By that time, hundreds had downloaded it and they lost money.
Have you experienced something like this? You are not alone, and you know what to look for now.
A trusted game became dangerous
There is a game on Steam called Block Blasters. It appeared to be safe and had good reviews, so a lot of people trusted and downloaded the game. The game also had a Steam verification, which further made people think it was safe and ok to play. After a period of about a week or so of people downloading and playing the game, someone updated it and added something wicked — a program that would take money from crypto wallets. No one had any idea this was happening until it was too late. One of the victims had been a popular streamer who was using his platform to raise money for cancer treatment.What really happened
One of the victim streamers had stage 4 cancer, and was asking his fanbase to help, through donations. The donations were mostly held in a crypto wallet, and for funds to be transferred over, it would of course require funds to be pulled out of the wallet it was in. Unfortunately, the game was able to wedge its way through the wallet, and steal from it.Here’s what the malware did:
- Logged into Steam
- Found users’ IP addresses
- Stole crypto wallet
- Utilized stealthy software to hide
What is frightening
Most of the time we trust Steam, right? Once we see a game is “verified,” we take that to mean it is safe. This shows that even verified games can be unsafe if someone adds bad code to the game later.What is even worse is that no one noticed until weeks later. By that time, hundreds had downloaded it and they lost money.
Tips for staying safe
Here are some things to do to keep yourself safe:- Don’t trust every free game, even if it’s in a verified account
- Watch how your computer behaves after you download/install a game
- Keep your crypto in a secure wallet, not a connected wallet
- If it feels like something is wrong, stop and check
Final thoughts
A game stealing money from a person with cancer is awful. However, this is not just a problem of one person, and it should be a warning to everyone. Just because it seems safe does not mean it is. Please stay safe online and guard your stuff.Have you experienced something like this? You are not alone, and you know what to look for now.