A recent investigation by Malwarebytes Labs has revealed that malicious code is hidden in a number of purported cheats for the popular video game “Fortnite.” Scammers have tricked gamers into downloading malware with the promise that they are actually downloading a hack that will give them an advantage over other players in the game. The vast majority of these cheat hacks are actually trojan malware files that steal important data from the user, and could even give the hacker access to Bitcoin (BTC) wallets.
The perpetrators of this scam are using YouTube videos about Fortnite to lure gamers into downloading a file containing malware. Some videos also claim to offer free season passes. As you can see below, these videos are all over YouTube, and although some are slowly being taken down, there are always more to replace them.
The malware was traced back to a website with the URL : bt-fortnite-cheats(dot)tk. However, there may be many other mirror sites offering the same downloads.
The download page was messy, but could nonetheless be convincing, especially for younger players. Below is a screenshot of one of the most popular download pages, which has over 1,207 downloads.
Fortnite publisher Epic Games has been very aggressive with both hackers and cheaters in the past, even going so far as to sue a 14-year-old who was accused of developing a cheat for the game.
Ongoing Problems
This is not the first time that crypto-related malware has been a problem for Fortnite gamers. Just last year, Epic Games sued a hacker who hid an involuntary Bitcoin miner in a fake “cheat” download. A complaint from Epic Games stated that the malware:
Functions as a bitcoin miner that infects the user’s computer with a virus that causes the user’s computer to mine bitcoin for the benefit of an unknown third party.
This new malware is also very similar to the “Wannamine” malware reported on by CryptoGlobe last month, and, despite the aggressive legal action and threat of malware infection “Fortnite hacks” and “Fortnite cheats” still remain among the top internet searches.
