Hackers attack multiplayer online games

One of the most prolific hacker groups in the world has recently infiltrated several servers of multiplayer online gaming platforms. Their move allowed hackers to install malware on players' computers and steal currency.

After targeting universities in Hong Kong during student protests last February to collect data, the group pirates of Chinese origin Winnti resumes service by attacking the video game sector in Asia. This is not the first time that this group of hackers has targeted video game publishers, it is even their specialty. Detected by the security company ESET, the attack this time concerned waiters of multiplayer games very popular in Asia. Without citing them, ESET said the publishers of these games are located in South Korea and Asia.

In at least one attack, the hackers managed to infiltrate and take control of the server serving as "conductor" for the publisher's online platform. They were thus able implant of malware directly in users' games. It is by detecting one of them, baptized PipeMon that ESET researchers were able to discover this hacking.

Winnti continues to attack the video game industry

Very clever what malicious code is able to appropriate the certificates valid video games and bypass Windows protections to install in users. The objective of these infiltrations is essentially financial. ESET has thus identified virtual currency collection operations in at least one game.

The security company succeeded in attributing this campaign to the Winnti group due to the similarity of the PipeMon code with previous attacks on video games. If certificates and malicious code are neutralized today, hackers of Winnti should not demobilize according to society. Tenacious, the group is the author of numerous attacks carried out with the same operating mode against video game publishers, but also in other sectors. Thus, in 2017 and 2019, they also made a name for themselves by introducing themselves to the CCleaner cleaning software and on computers from the manufacturer Asus.

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