The Lviv region's cyber police have detained three Ukrainians who used malicious software to steal player profiles in popular online games. The attackers managed to gain access to over 610,000 accounts and earned about UAH 10 million from their scheme.
The Lviv region's cyber police have detained three Ukrainians who used malicious software to steal player profiles in popular online games. The attackers managed to gain access to over 610,000 accounts and earned about UAH 10 million from their scheme.
According to the Cyber Police Department, the organizer of the scheme was a 19-year-old resident of Drohobych, who involved two accomplices aged 21 and 22. The hacker group specialized in stealing accounts with valuable gaming inventory, limited equipment and positive balances on virtual accounts. The fraudsters sold the stolen data for cryptocurrency in closed communities and on a website in the Russian domain zone.
To implement the scheme, hackers used stealers — malicious software designed to steal confidential data. The software was disguised as cheats that supposedly provided users with additional bonuses or made it easier to complete the game. After infecting the device, the attackers gained full control over the victim’s profile.
During searches of the perpetrators' homes, law enforcement officers seized computer equipment, mobile phones, bank cards, as well as $32,000 and 2,000 euros in cash. Experts found more than 300 detailed records of "elite" accounts, the highest value on the black market.
Currently, all members of the group have been notified of suspicion under articles on theft and unauthorized interference with the operation of information systems (Part 4 of Article 185 and Part 5 of Article 361 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). If they are proven guilty in court, they face up to 15 years in prison.
