Home News Survival Minecraft Minecraft cheaters try to steal accounts, download ransomware instead
By Tyler Colp published 1 November 21
Malware is tricking Japanese Minecraft players to steal their accounts.
Minecraft cheaters in Japan are getting some instant karma, as per cybersecurity outfit Fortinet. Ransomware that destroys data but disguises itself as a list containing stolen Minecraft accounts is being used to target hackers who are aspiring to be hackers.
This list could be attractive to players looking to anonymize themselves to keep their main accounts from getting bans, most obviously to avoid being caught cheating, griefing, and other bad behavior. Although it's not clear how many Japanese Minecraft players have fallen for the ransomware trap, Fortinet has detailed what the attack does.
Fortinet says that ransomware temporarily corrupts files smaller than 2MB, and this continues until the victim pays 2,000 Yuan (roughly $17) to save the files. It doesn't permit the victims to save their entire data. The executable can be opened and all files that are that are larger than 2MB or have various extensions (a list of extensions is available on the Fortinet's website) will be filled with random bits of data that permanently delete them permanently. It erases any Windows backup copies of the files, meaning you aren't able to restore them either. It also plasters a ransom note on the wallpaper of the user. The only thing it doesn't do is take any of your personal data.Xrplay What a thoughtful gesture.
As a payment, the criminal demands prepaid cards to be used for gaming, online shopping streaming, music, and other services. Fortinet reports that the ransom note states that the attacker is only available on Saturdays and that he apologizes for any inconvenience. Even if the victim pays the fee, only the files with less than 2MB are able to be restored.
Ransomware is a variant on the Chaos ransomware that has been in circulation since June. Other versions of Chaos ransomware have been discovered to infect all hard drives and disable Windows recovery mode completely.
It doesn't matter if you're trying cheat in Minecraft or not downloading executables from unknown sources isn't a good idea. Don't cheat on Minecraft.
Tyler has covered games, games culture and hardware for more than 10 years before joining PC Gamer as Associate Editor. He's done in-depth reporting on communities and games as well as critiques for websites like Polygon, Wired, and Waypoint. He's fascinated by the bizarre and fascinating in games, spending time probing for stories and speaking to the people who are involved. Tyler enjoys dipping into games like Final Fantasy 14, Overwatch, and Dark Souls to see what they do and find out the interesting aspects to talk about. His goal is to discuss games as they are: imperfect and beautiful, wacky and a bit bizarre.
