From GTA VI Leak to Wolverine, These Are the Famous Scams in The Gaming Industry

The gaming world is buzzing with excitement over GTA VI, while Apple enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating the Game Mode in the upcoming iOS 18. Gamers typically enjoy heroic adventures with strong background music, robbing the public, and sometimes even saving civilians. However, it's not uncommon for some individuals to rob the creators of these games, leak footage before launch, and replicate GTA in real life.

In reality, "most wanted" and "unwanted" cheat codes do not function as they do in games. Even when hiding behind cryptocurrency, these individuals often end up wasting their lives in prison. The video game industry is booming worldwide and is expected to surpass the film industry by 2026, reaching a monetary value of $321 billion. However, hackers and leakers remain a significant problem for gamers and publishers alike.

Most famous scams in the gaming industry:

GTA VI Trailer Leak

An eighteen-year-old hacker named Arion Kurtaj hacked several tech companies, including Rockstar Games, the developer of GTA VI. He received a lifetime sentence in a secured hospital until he is no longer deemed a danger to the public. His bail release followed his hacking of chip-making giant NVIDIA and British Internet service provider, EE. Kurtaj broke into the internal Slack server of Rockstar Games and released GTA VI trailer just using an Amazon Firestick, hotel TV, and a mobile phone. Shocking enough? He threatened to release the source code if Rockstar didn't pay a multi-million-dollar ransom to him.

Wolverine Hacked for $2 million

Wolverine, the most powerful character in Marvel's X-Men series, fell victim to a $2 million hack. The Insomniac group decided to make a video game based on this character, but unfortunately, the Rhysida hacker group hacked and stole the confidential data for $2 million in Bitcoin.

Roblox Cheat Code Hack

Hackers often target young players, preying on their inexperience and curiosity. This happened to many Roblox players, where hackers exploited DLL files. Many users employed cheat codes in their games, leading to these files corrupting other programs, games, and files; erasing directories or files; or transferring data to hacker groups. Additionally, they installed extra library files in the system folder, further compromising the affected systems.

Poor Response from Nintendo

Nintendo's response to the compromise of over 300,000 user accounts in 2020 was inadequate. Hackers utilised user funds to purchase in-game items using compromised accounts, and also took information connected to Nintendo accounts. In response, Nintendo rejected all of the accusations and instructed customers to upgrade their two-factor authentication.

Resident Evil Faced an Evil Attack

Capcom is the creator of Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, and Evil Fighter. In 2020, a group of hackers hacked 15,649 users' data, which included personal details, addresses, numbers, and email accounts. In return, they demanded $11 million, but Capcom didn’t pay them, and as a result, they leaked all the data in public.

Counter-Strike

he hacking story of CS: GO began in mid-June 2022 when hackers gained access to the game's inventories. CS assets are among the most valuable in the gaming industry due to the game's long-standing popularity since the launch of the original Counter-Strike. A Twitter user named “Ohnepixel” reported that hackers had stolen $2 million worth of inventories, including skins and other accessories. Some users witnessed this hacking process during live streams and estimated the total loss to be in the millions of dollars.

How can you protect your data from these hackers?

The gaming industry is expected to make a total revenue of around $282.30 billion, and with an annual growth rate of 8.39%, it is expected to make around $389.70 billion.

The platform attracts a large number of young and inexperienced users, making it a prime target for hackers. Some users fall into the trap of using shortcuts to complete missions, while others opt not to install games from authentic sources to save money. Consequently, they install files containing hacking tools and use cheat codes from unethical sources. Additionally, some users may not fully comprehend the importance of strong passwords, and certain companies that produce games may even collaborate with hacking organizations, leading to their inclusion in hacking news.

However, there are steps you can take to protect yourself from hacking threats. These include:

1. Buying games from authorised sources.
2. Activating your antivirus and firewall protection.
3. Safeguarding your data on streaming and live platforms.
4. Avoiding the use of mod files.
5. Avoiding the use of "cheat codes" or shortcuts.

By following these precautions, you can reduce the risk of falling victim to hackers.