FBI Probes Malware-Loaded Steam Games Targeting Crypto
Investigators say titles like BlockBlasters and PirateFi hid info-stealing code that drained gamer accounts and wallets.
Summary
- The FBI’s Seattle Division is investigating a threat actor who published several malware-infected games on Steam between May 2024 and January 2025
- Infected titles, including BlockBlasters and PirateFi, were used to steal user credentials and cryptocurrency wallets
- Authorities are asking affected gamers to come forward to aid the investigation and potential restitution efforts
The FBI‘s Seattle Division has launched an investigation into a hacker suspected of distributing malware through video games hosted on Valve‘s Steam platform. The threat actor targeted gamers between May 2024 and January 2025 by publishing at least seven seemingly legitimate titles embedded with malicious code. The identified games include BlockBlasters, Chemia, Dashverse/DashFPS, Lampy, Lunara, PirateFi, and Tokenova.
The primary objective of the compromised games was to act as a Trojan horse, tricking users into installing information-stealing malware capable of harvesting browser data, account credentials, and cryptocurrency wallets. The financial impact has been significant for some victims; in one high-profile incident, a streamer lost $32,000 USD in crypto to the BlockBlasters malware during a cancer fundraising broadcast.
In response to the breaches, authorities are actively seeking out potential victims. The gathered information will be used to track the stolen funds and hold the perpetrators accountable. Valve has confirmed the legitimacy of the investigation and directly notified users who downloaded the affected builds.
