The world-renowned video game company Activision is currently grappling with a cyber attack aimed at players, with the primary objective of stealing their login information. This revelation was exclusively shared with TechCrunch by inside sources.
The motives behind this hacking campaign are yet to be fully understood, but it seems the hackers are focusing on obtaining passwords for various accounts. According to knowledgeable individuals, the attackers are utilizing malware to infiltrate the victims’ computers and steal their credentials for gaming accounts and crypto wallets, among other targets.
An anonymous source, who is privy to the ongoing incidents, disclosed that the team at Activision Blizzard is already on the case, working tirelessly to “assist in the removal of the malware” and “identify and resolve any player accounts that may have been compromised.”
“The malware is currently being investigated, and we do not have sufficient data to determine how it is spreading,” the source said. “It is possible that it is only affecting those who have installed third-party tools.”
“Do you have any information about this hack or other instances of video game hacking?”
“You can get in touch with Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or through Telegram, Keybase, and Wire @lorenzofb. Alternatively, you can email from a personal device. You can also reach TechCrunch through SecureDrop.”
According to Delaney Simmons, a spokesperson for Activision, the company is aware of the reports that “some player credentials throughout the gaming industry may have been compromised due to unauthorized software downloads or usage.” However, Simmons assures that the company’s servers “are still secure and uncompromised.”
The individual behind the discovery of this hacking campaign is Zeebler, a developer and distributor of cheating software for the popular first-person shooter game, Call of Duty. In the official channel for the cheat provider, PhantomOverlay, Zeebler notified users on Wednesday about the hackers’ efforts to obtain gamers’ usernames and passwords, including those who use cheats.
According to Zeebler, this is an “infostealer malware campaign,” whereby malware disguised as legitimate software is covertly installed on the victim’s device to gather their login credentials.
Zeebler revealed to TechCrunch that he stumbled upon the hacking campaign after one of his customers had their cheat software account compromised. After that, Zeebler began investigating and eventually discovered the database where the hackers were storing the stolen credentials.
He then alerted Activision Blizzard and other cheat providers whose users were also affected.
TechCrunch managed to obtain a sample of the stolen logins and confirmed that some of the information is authentic. The dates of the compromised data are still unknown.
At the current moment, there is no reason to believe that ordinary players of Activision games are in danger. However, those who use third-party applications like cheats should be wary.
Nevertheless, as Simmons stated to TechCrunch, users who suspect that their accounts may have been compromised can take preventative measures such as changing their password and activating two-factor authentication.
