Call of Duty Hack Steals Logins, Crypto Wallets
Players of the multiplayer online shooter Call of Duty recently encountered malicious hacking activity aimed at stealing players’ credentials. Malefactors, employing specialized malicious software, are filching passwords for gaming accounts and cryptocurrency wallets. The means of malware distribution remain undisclosed, though it is conjectured that users who have installed third-party software are susceptible to these attacks.
Security experts at vx-underground issued a warning on their official profile on a banned platform, emphasizing that users employing fraudulent software are the most affected.
Activision’s representative, Delaney Simmons, confirmed the company’s awareness of the potential threat to player account security, yet stressed that the company’s servers remain secure and have not been compromised.
These hacking attacks first came to light through an individual known by the pseudonym Zeebler, a developer and seller of cheat software for the popular first-person shooter Call of Duty. He reported that hackers targeted players, including those using cheats, with the intent of stealing their logins and passwords.
Upon detecting the threat, Zeebler initiated his investigation and discovered a database of stolen accounts maintained by hackers. He claimed that both Activision Blizzard representatives and other cheat developers were notified of the threat.
Cybersecurity experts have verified the authenticity of some of the stolen data, but the date of the breach remains unknown. It appears only players using third-party software, including cheats, are at risk.
Previously, Call of Duty players had been subjected to attacks by hackers, but those incidents were not due to users’ naivety in installing banned software, but rather to Activision’s negligence. In July of the previous year, a vulnerability was revealed in the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2009) game client. Activision had been aware of this vulnerability for five years but had no plans to address it since the affected game was no longer a priority, despite the ongoing online activity and the real threat to user security.
Regarding the latest wave of hacks, Activision representatives advised users concerned about their security to change their account password and activate two-factor authentication, and to avoid using dubious software, especially that which explicitly violates the user agreement with the company.
