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Activision is investigating a hack that steals login information from people playing its games. As TechCrunch reports, malicious actors are successfully installing malware on victims' computers and using their access to steal login credentials for gaming accounts and even crypto wallets.
Activision reportedly helped victims remove the malware and regain control of their accounts. However, the company does not currently have enough information to say how the malware spread.
TechCrunch's source said the malware “can only affect people who have third-party tools installed.” He implied that people got it from software not developed by Activision, which is often used in games.
Activision: There is no problem with our servers
Activision spokesperson Delaney Simmons told the publication that the company is aware of “allegations within the broader industry that some gamer credentials may be compromised from malware due to unauthorized downloading or use of software.” Simmons added that the company's servers “remain secure and uncompromised.”
It's certainly a plausible theory, considering the hacking scheme was uncovered by someone known as Zeebler, who developed cheat software for Call of Duty. Zeebler told TechCrunch that he discovered the scheme when one of his customers had his account stolen for his software. Zeebler, who discovered a database containing stolen credentials after his investigation, also said that the malware was disguised to look like real software, but was actually designed to steal usernames and passwords entered by victims.
Zeebler is probably talking about third-party tools, such as cheating software cloning people to collect their login credentials, but the software that attacks Activision users is phishing. All these events show that people need to check the authenticity of even their login pages.