Kaspersky report-2024: ‘Cyberattacks on young gamers rises by 30pc in 2024’

ISLAMABAD: A global cybersecurity firm disclosed Thursday that cyberattacks on young gamers has been increased by 30 percent in 2024 where cyber-criminals have targeted over 132,000 online gamers including Pakistan.

In this regard, latest Kaspersky report-2024 on cybercrimes targeting young gamers in Pakistan and other countries has been released.

According to Kaspersky experts, the number of unique users targeted by cyber-criminals using popular children’s games as a lure surged by 30 percent in the first six months of 2024 compared to the last half of 2023.

Researchers analyzed gaming risks for young players, and discovered that more than 132,000 users had been targeted by cyber-criminals.

Kaspersky looked into the threats disguised as popular kids’ video games and analyzed the period from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. Throughout the reported period, Kaspersky security solutions detected more than 6.6 million attempted attacks, where cyber-criminals used the brands of the kids’ games as a lure.

Out of the 18 games chosen for this research, the majority of attacks were related to Minecraft, Roblox, and Among Us.

The statistics revealed that more than three million attempted attacks under the guise of Minecraft were launched throughout the reported period. Most likely, cyber-criminals chose this method of attack based on the popularity of games among players, as well as the ability of gamers to use cheats and mods. Since the majority of mods and cheats are distributed on third-party websites, attackers disguise malware by posing as these applications.

Cyber-criminals are increasingly using AI to automate and personalize phishing attacks that are more likely to deceive young gamers.

One of the most common scams in gaming is the offer to receive new skins for your character — essentially clothing or armor— that enhances the hero’s skills. Some skins are common, while others are extremely rare and, therefore, more desirable.

The scammers aren’t actually after personal data like credit card details; they’re using the guise of gaming to lure users into another hoax—one involving fake downloads, prize claims, or other deceptive offers. The whole process is a clever way to redirect users to a different, more dangerous scam under the pretense of a legitimate verification step, Vasily Kolesnikov, security expert at Kaspersky concluded.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024