back to article Malware-flinging Winnti crew has been RIPPING OFF gaming firms for YEARS

Security researchers have discovered an active cyber-crime campaign that targets online gaming companies worldwide. According to Kaspersky Lab, the Winnti crew has been attacking companies in the online gaming industry since 2009, stealing digital certificates signed by legitimate software vendors in addition to intellectual …

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  1. dssf

    One way to boost computer sales...

    One way to boost computer sales...

    http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2013/04/11/gartner_microsoft_intel_profits

    Scaring the shit out of gamers, and admonishing them to buy a "dedicated machine for gaming" would be ONE truthful way to do it. I've for years suspected that games were hacked/cracked. I posited that the longer you are online, the more you'll experience crashes, and some of those crashes will be related to malicious activity of SOME sort -- either to steal data or to steal resources, or both. Now, if the hardware and gaming companies want to live, they might end up doing a combination of subsidized phones and gaming parlor royalties combos to move hardware and renew licensing.

    http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2013/04/134_132570.html

    But, we'll see. It'll all depend on the depth of the pockets of gamers, their abiity to value isolation of games from other software, and the ability to carry multiple laptops or have multiple machines in their rooms if they do not already do so.

  2. Raz

    Either?

    "The Winnti group turned a dishonest profit through its activities by EITHER looting in-game currencies and selling it for real money." English is not my first language, but I believe an OR should be around there somewhere?

  3. ecofeco Silver badge

    Have I mentioned...

    ...that cloud thingy, lately?

    And how much we are all going to regret using it like a pair of old slippers?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Have I mentioned...

      Yeah that Cloudy thing, it sure makes a lot of ASSUMPTIONS doesn't it?!

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Anyone up for a little Zynga gaming especially now that they've started into gambling?

    "Security researchers have discovered an active cyber-crime campaign that targets online gaming companies worldwide."

    Anyone up for a little Zynga gaming especially now that they've started into gambling?

    C'mon, c'mon hands up now....

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Dark Clouds Overhead...

    ...Infected computers were linked...

    ....victims were fans of a popular online game...

    .....malware used in the attack was spread as part of a regular update from...

    ........the gaming company’s official server...

    .........The malware used... was the first of its type to incorporate use of a valid digital signature.

    In a word WOW! If this isn't a WAKE UP call to the world of Always-on-Cloudy-Gaming, what is...?!!!!

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sadly most gaming startups can't afford security. Many established businesses feel they can't even afford to protect their users with an ssl certificate, I'm looking at you El Reg.

    To give an example it's not unusual for government and financial sector clients to be charged £700-1000 a day to have a relatively new graduate to hack there website or network. And most of the time they will succeed.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Belarus == World of Tanks

    World of Tanks is the only Belarusian MMO that I know of. For a while too early versions of "World of Tanks" would only run as admin. Time to do a fine grained virus check on my machine. Thanks for the heads-up El Reg.

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