It has been reported that a computer virus has spread among tens of thousands of Fortnite players, as hackers seek to take advantage of the vast numbers playing the popular video game. Security researchers at game-streaming platform Rainway uncovered the issue, which originates from a YouTube video claiming to offer free units V-Bucks – a virtual in-game currency. Ross Rustici, Senior Director, Intelligence Services at Cybereason commented below.
Ross Rustici, Senior Director, Intelligence Services atCybereason:
“The monetization of Fortnite by hackers is surprising only in how ineffective it has been thus far. The most recent example netted only .062% of users. Over the years, online gaming has become significantly safer and this latest attempt only further illustrates how far out on the periphery hackers must go to try to bandwagon on popular gaming fads. The bigger concern here is the chosen intrusion vector. The ability for hackers to create seemingly legitimate content around a social phenomenon that has a high click rate to deliver malicious code and ads is a serious problem for YouTube. Given the high streaming rates and people’s inherent trust with such a well known site, this delivery method will continue to be seen as a highly effective method for hackers. How YouTube and parent company Alphabet combat this type of abuse will help determine whether this is another blip on the cybersecurity radar or a persistent method that requires a third party solution to combat.”
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.