Security Report Puts Gamers On Notice, Cyberattackers Will Come At You Hard In 2023
Scammers are unfortunately everywhere these days, from gas stations and ATMs (skimmers), to unsolicited phone calls trying to trick less savvy users into coughing up their banking details. You have to keep your head on a swivel in the digital age. In particular, if you're a gamer (as many of us are), a new security report highlighting cyberattack trends heading in 2023 warns that you have a bigger target than ever on your back.
Kaspsersky's Securelist threat intelligence lab highlighted several game and streaming service targets heading into next year, one of them being more gaming subscription fraud. This is because various services combined are increasing in popularity and footprint.
"Sony’s PlayStation Plus is starting to compete with Microsoft’s subscription service, GamePass, and offers to play subscription games not only on consoles, but also on the PC, to increase the market share. The larger the subscription base, the greater the number of fraudulent key-selling schemes and attempts at stealing accounts," Kaspersky says.
Scammers will also continue to take advantage of the console shortage, with new opportunities around the bend. While there has been some relief during the holiday season, in terms of console availability, the launch of Sony's PlayStation VR 2, which requires a PlayStation 5 console, could see supplies strained further next year. And interestingly, Kaspersky says Sony is expected to release an upgraded PlayStation 5 Pro model in 2023.
As such, gamers should be on the lookout for fake presale offers, giveaways, and discounts, in addition to online store clones claiming to have stock of hard-to-find hardware.
Other potential threat vectors include in-game virtual currencies and long-awaited titles such as Grand Theft Auto VI and Diablo IV.
"This year, we have already seen an attacker claim to leak several dozen gameplay videos from GTA 6. Chances are that in 2023, we will see more attacks relating to games slated for release in that year: Diablo IV, Alan Wake 2, and Stalker 2. Besides possible leaks, we expect to see the increase in scams that target these games, as well as in Trojans disguised as those games," Kaspersky warns.
Gamers aren't the ones scammers will target with increased frequency in 2023. According to Kaspsersky, cyberattackers will also lean on streaming services and popular movies and TV shows in an attempt to distribute more malware. And as the metaverse grows (if it does), that could be another area of focus.
You can check out the security report for the full list of threats. Suffice to say, practice safe computing habits and stay safe out there.
