Hackers are exploiting live streams of top Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), such as IEM Katowice 2025 and PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, to defraud players by stealing Steam accounts and crypto.
See also: Two Estonians admitted to their participation in Crypto Ponzi 577
Despite CS2 making its debut 13 years ago, it continues to maintain a huge player base and a vibrant professional scene, with tournaments offering prizes worth millions.
Earlier this month, CS2 set a new record, with over 1.7 million concurrent players on Steam, marking an impressive achievement.
Bitdefender Labs has uncovered a malicious “ Streamjacking ” campaign , which targets the gaming community , impersonating popular CS2 players.
The security firm is warning that malicious actors are impersonating professional CS2 players , such as s1mple, NiKo, and donk , during YouTube live streams. The streams aim to promote fake CS2 and crypto giveaways, misleading the audience.
See also: zkLend: $9.5 million worth of crypto stolen – Will the hacker return 90%?
The channels used to promote these scams are regular and legitimate YouTube. However, the scammers strategically rename them to mimic professional players, thereby deceiving the public.
These live streams actually feature repeated clips of old gameplay footage, giving the illusion of a live broadcast to those who haven't watched them before.
The QR codes or links accompanying these videos lead viewers to malicious websites, where they are asked to log in with their Steam account, supposedly to claim gifts or send cryptocurrency with the promise of receiving double the value in return.
According to Bitdefender, these scams often exploit the names of trusted platforms, such as CS.MONEY, or invoke esports sponsorships to make the deception even more convincing.
See also: KuCoin: Pays fine for illegal money transfer business
Cryptocurrency theft has become a growing concern in the digital age, with hackers using sophisticated techniques to exploit vulnerabilities in systems and wallets. Cybercriminals often use phishing attacks, malware, or exploits targeting security flaws in platforms to gain unauthorized access to users’ funds. The decentralized and pseudonymous nature of cryptocurrencies adds complexity to tracking stolen assets, making prevention and strong security measures essential for users and organizations in the cryptocurrency space.
Source: bleepingcomputer
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