GTA 6 fans warned about widespread cyberattack scams
NordVPN has warned against cybercriminal using the GTA 6 hype to target gamers.
NordVPN has warned against cybercriminal using the GTA 6 hype to target gamers.
With fans desperate for more updates on Rockstar Games' highly anticipated game, scammers have capitalised with a range of tactics.
NordVPN's Threat Intelligence team has found GTA 6-themed scams from fake installers and phishing pages to non-existent beta keys.
The cybercrooks are relying on victims being eager for more around GTA 6, and so the idea is they will click without thinking.
PC and Android users are the primary targets, but the scammers could still promise access to the game on PlayStation 5 and Xbox X/S.
One of the scams sees users offered exclusive beta keys for PS5 and Xbox, even though they don't exist.
Users fill out a form and verification process, which leads them to either subscribing or downloading what are known as potentially unwanted applications.
As for Windows users, they're being hit with clones of well-known piracy sites, which are disguised as GTA 6 but include malware.
NordVPN found that one of the scam files looked legitimate, featuring a game installer which secretly added a trojan in the background.
When it comes to Android users, they have been hit with adware pretending to offer access to the game's beta, despite the game being unlikely to ever drop on the system.
The best advice for gamers wanting to avoid the attacks are to never trust offers of free beta keys, and instead only trust information coming from Rockstar Games, the PlayStation Store, or the Xbox Marketplace.
Similarly, users should never download game-related content from third party platforms, or share Rockstar account details with any site other than the official website.
