U.S. prosecutors have accused a Florida man of uploading fake video games containing malware to Steam, a popular PC gaming platform. Once victims downloaded and installed the game, the malware was designed to infect their computers, steal passwords and other data, and drain their cryptocurrency wallets, according to the criminal complaint.
On Tuesday, the FBI arrested Zaire Wilkins, 21, a Florida resident and student. On Wednesday, prosecutors charged him and a number of anonymous co-conspirators with hacking crimes. Over the past two years, Wilkins and his partners allegedly published several video games containing malware on Steam, including BlockBlasters, Dashverse, Lampy, Lunara, and PirateFi. Wilkins and his accomplices used the malware to infect approximately 8,000 victims and then hacked approximately 80 cryptocurrency wallets and stole at least $220,000 worth of cryptocurrency, according to the FBI.
Authorities say Wilkins and others were selling malicious video games on Discord, LinkedIn, and Telegram.
Wilkins' attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
In March, the FBI announced that it was investigating a hacker who allegedly hacked victims using malware-laden video games available on Steam. In a statement, the department called on people who downloaded malicious games, including those named in this week's indictment, to come forward and provide evidence that could help the investigation.
Valve, the maker of Steam, removed several video games from its platform last year after they were found to contain malware, including PirateFi. All the games were designed to look legitimate enough for players to install and play, but all contained malware.
After the FBI identified additional individuals involved in the crime, federal agents interviewed them, according to the complaint. The anonymous person said that in exchange for sharing some of the stolen virtual currency, he worked with others to raise funds to launch and sell the malicious game. The FBI identified a specific cryptocurrency account involved in the scheme and tracked cryptocurrency payments made there to purchase multiple gift cards, including one for UberEats. After subpoenaing Uber, federal authorities determined that the gift cards were linked to an account that made deliveries to Wilkins, which went by the online nickname Sibel.eth, according to the complaint.
Federal authorities then obtained a search warrant for Wilkins' residence, where they seized his MacBook laptop, cell phone, other devices, and digital wallet. The man refused to speak or answer questions, according to the complaint.
If you buy through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This does not affect editorial independence.