Hackers are created fake pages in downloadable games on Steam in a bid to install malware on unsuspecting gamers computers.You might think you've found a cool-looking new game on Steam, but it could be computer-infesting malware in disguise. Scammers are imitating entire game pages now.
The developers of indie titles Octopus City Blues and Street Fist 2 have both reported fake pages masquerading as the official store page for their game, hidden in the Concepts section of Steam.
After eight days, valve has finally taken the offending links offline, but it's something to be aware of when browsing Steam Greenlight. One such fake page was disguised as the game ‘Octopus City Blues’ from the indie studio Ghost in a Bottle.
The game pages were made to look convincing and authentic, complete with official names, trailers, screenshots and descriptions.
Catalin Cosoi, chief security strategist at Bitdefender, said that one way of avoiding such incidents would be to have some sort of screening program that validates whether or not third party content is actually benign.
“One way of approaching this would be to scrutinise embedded URLs and make sure they don't point to a known malware-disseminating website. There are various ways this can be achieved and it would minimise the risk of possible infections. Think of it as a forum moderator that validates whether or not shared links are legit or not,” he said.
Cosoi said that Steam has now realised that the gaming community could inadvertently be exposed to malware when reading their forums or its Concept section. “Steps to prevent this are probably being implemented as we speak. Users have probably learned that only games and files that are downloaded via Steam's official servers are to be trusted. One could argue that users are responsible for everything they download outside Steam's marketplace,” he said.
Online gaming continues to be a prime target for cyber-criminals, as Steam users were also targeted recently with a phishing scam spread via the service’s Marketplace. Gamers are advised to be extra careful when playing online.
