Video and online gaming is here to stay. It’s hard to deny when you look at the numbers: 227 million Americans played video games in 2023, fueling a nearly 58 billion-dollar overall gaming market. According to Yahoo! Finance, that number is expected to reach closer to 91 billion over the next five years.
The popularity of these games among people of all ages make them an easy target for cybercriminals looking for creative ways to spread malware. Across video gaming websites and forums, you’ll see malicious links posted in the comments which, when clicked, will download a .zip file for a program called Cheat Lab.
This software may be enticing to gamers since it claims to help them cheat at their favorite games. The software doesn’t actually help players cheat, but it does help cybercriminals gain access to your personal data.
At first glance, Cheat Lab appears to be a legitimate program and even has an activation code. If you install it, there is a message with an offer to receive a free version of the software if you send it to your friends. However, the program is actually malware. Once you have installed it, cybercriminals will gain access to your sensitive information. Even worse, if you follow the instructions in the message and send it to all your friends, cybercriminals might also gain access to your friends’ data.
Follow these tips to avoid falling victim to a malware scam:
- Be skeptical of offers and deals. If you find a link for a free product that seems too good to be true, it probably is.
- When downloading software, be mindful of the source. Legitimate companies do not distribute their software by posting links in comments. You should only download software from a trusted company or source.
- This scam targets gamers, but similar tactics could be used against anyone. Always stop and think before clicking on a link.
