This fake Pokemon NFT game just wants to take over your Windows PC
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Hackers are taking advantage of the continued popularity of the Pokemon universe and the bizarre rise of non-fungible tokens (NFT) to trick people into installing remote access tools (RAT), take over their devices, and steal valuables that they could find.
ASEC cybersecurity researchers recently discovered at least two malicious websites: beta pokemoncards[.]io and pokemon go[.]io pretend to host a Pokemon game that also offers NFT cards that can be traded, ultimately for profit.
The websites have since been taken down, but while they were running they had a download button called “Play on PC” that NetSupport distributed.
Distribute NetSupport
In theory, NetSupport is legitimate software. Built on Windows, it enables cross-platform remote access, enabling IT administrators and technicians to remotely access various endpoints and troubleshoot potential issues. The program supports Windows, Windows Mobile, Mac, Linux and Solaris.
In practice, NetSupport is used by threat actors to gain unauthorized access to target systems. The first signs of activity on this campaign were in December last year. Previous examples from VirusTotal, the publication found, showed the same operators pushing a fake Visual Studio file instead of the Pokemon game.
The identity of the threat actor behind the campaign remains unknown.
Non-fungible tokens are part of a wider cryptocurrency market and as such are a prime target for fraudsters and hackers. Recent research has shown that the Web3 industry (decentralized internet based on the blockchain, the same technology that powers NFTs) lost nearly $4 billion to fraud and cybercrime last year.
As more organizations started building new systems, fraudsters quickly came out of the woodwork, and now Web3 bug bounty provider Immunefi has claimed that exactly $3,948,856,037 worth of cryptocurrencies will be lost in the Web3 ecosystem by 2022 due to fraud, hacks and scam. The silver lining, the researchers say, is the fact that overall losses have fallen by more than half (51.2%) year-over-year. By 2021, the industry had lost $8,088,338,239.
However, the constant battle against fraudsters is not slowing down the growth of the industry. Immunefi expects it to grow from $3.2 billion last year to $81.5 billion over the next seven years, up 43.7% CAGR.
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