Kaspersky Labs routinely releases data about where and how hackers and criminal elements on the Internet target people. But the Russian security company’s latest report deals with how attackers lure gamers using malware designed specifically for that demographic. 2013 saw a great spike in the number of cyber attacks aimed specifically at gamers. In India alone 2,07,245 attempts were discovered, Kaspersky Labs said in its report. In all, the security company identified 4.6 million pieces of malware targeting gamers exclusively, which resulted in over 11.7 million attacks worldwide. This resulted in an average 34,000 gaming malware attacks daily. Malware targets specific games, such as the hugely popular Minecraft.
Malware targetting gamers on the rise (Image credit: Getty Images)
Kaspersky Lab’s reports came with some recommendations for users to take the right precautions. The company said gamers have to be especially careful with the Sony PlayStation 4, which will be launched in India this week and the Microsoft Xbox One scheduled to be launched in India next year.Overall, gamers in Russia were the worst hit, with hackers making 88,13,050 attempts to infect these games in 2013. In second place was Vietnam with 5,03,947 attacks discovered this year, followed by China with 3,76,058 attempted attacks. India came fourth on the list, a number that’s bound to grow as more and more people get online. Ksapersky warns that the major threat comes through pirated games found on online forums, as well as through regular phishing attacks on gamers’ online gaming account which include credit card details among other financial data. These are supplemented by attacks on gaming companies themselves, which does result in some major leaks.
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