New malware steals your Steam, Epic, EA accounts – how not to be pwned

Be careful, PC players, new malware is attacking your Steam, Epic Games, EA Origin, Bethesda and GOG accounts.

The malware, dubbed “BloodyStealer” by its discoverers at Kaspersky, slips session cookies, passwords and credit cards, takes screenshots, profiles infected PCs and tries to hide from antivirus software.

It’s active in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and Latin America, but like a lot of malware, it won’t work on computers in Russia or other former Soviet republics.

“Gaming accounts are clearly stalked by cybercriminals, so if you want to enjoy the game with peace of mind and not worry about your credit or in-game accounts going missing, be sure to protect your account with two-way authentication. factors and use a reliable security solution to protect your devices, ”said Dmitry Galov, security researcher at Kaspersky.

Stolen accounts for online gaming platforms can be resold on the black market, often bundled. Even session cookies that only provide temporary access to other people’s games are worth something.

Potential villains can “subscribe” to BloodyStealer for around $ 10 per month, or can get a lifetime license for $ 40. (Malware coders often use subscription models to distribute their products to criminals, sometimes with built-in tech support.)

It is up to the subscribers to package and deliver the malware to the victims. The vectors of infection can vary, but often come in the form of pirated games, license code “cracks”, or even software updates.

How to avoid BloodyStealer

To avoid getting infected with BloodyStealer or similar malware, don’t download any hacked or hacked games, beware of links in game chats, install and run some of the best Windows 10 antivirus software – and scan everything. you download with this antivirus software before you do. run the installation process.

To avoid having your online gaming account stolen in any way, use two-factor authentication (2FA) as shown above – here’s how to set up 2FA on Epic Games – sign out of gaming accounts when you are not using them and use one. of the best password managers to generate strong and unique passwords and “remember” them all.

“BloodyStealer is a prime example of an advanced tool used by cybercriminals to enter the gaming market,” wrote Galov and fellow Kaspersky researchers Leonid Bezvershenko and Marc Rivero in a technical report. With its effective anti-detection techniques and attractive prices, it will certainly soon be associated with other families of malware. “