Corporate risk rises as gamers in Sri Lanka hit by malware: Kaspersky

SAYS A COMMON TACTIC OF INFOSTEALER INVOLVES LURING GAMERS WITH LINKS TO FAKE CHEATS, MODIFICATIONS, OR BUGS FOR POPULAR GAMES SUCH AS MINECRAFT, ROBLOX, AND FORTNITE ON PLATFORMS SUCH AS YOUTUBE CAUTIONS THE THREAT EXTENDS BEYOND PERSONAL ENTERTAINMENT AND INTO THE CORPORATE WORLD WHILE SRI LANKA'S FIGURE OF 10,877 COMPROMISED ACCOUNTS IS CONCERNING, IT WAS AMONG THE LOWER NUMBERS IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION FOR 2024

- By NISHEL FERNANDO IN DA NANG, VIETNAM

New threat research from Kaspersky has revealed a startling figure for Sri Lanka’s gaming community and its corporate sector with at least 10,877 gaming accounts in the country compromised by infostealer malware in 2024.

The findings were part of a larger, alarming global trend presented this week during Kaspersky’s Cyber Security Weekend held in Da Nang, Vietnam.

The research, conducted by Kaspersky’s Digital Footprint Intelligence (DFI) team, shows that infostealer malware is a widespread global issue. In 2024 alone, this notorious type of malware led to the leak of over 11 million gaming account credentials worldwide. The popular Steam platform was the hardest hit, with nearly 5.7 million accounts compromised. An additional 6.2 million accounts from other major gaming platforms, including the Epic Games Store, Battle.net, Ubisoft Connect, GOG, and the EA app, were also exposed.

Polina Tretyak, a Digital Footprint Intelligence Analyst at Kaspersky, detailed the mechanics of this threat during the event. She explained that infostealers are malicious software often distributed through deceptive means. A common tactic involves luring gamers with links to fake cheats, modifications, or bugs for popular games such as Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite on platforms such as YouTube.