Federal prosecutors have charged a 21-year-old man from Florida, Zyaire Wilkins, for allegedly uploading counterfeit video games embedded with malware on Steam, a popular gaming platform. This malware was reportedly designed to compromise computers, steal passwords and sensitive data, and ultimately drain cryptocurrency wallets from unsuspecting victims, as detailed in a criminal complaint.
On Tuesday, the FBI apprehended Wilkins, a student residing in Florida. The following day, prosecutors accused him, along with several unnamed co-conspirators, of engaging in cybercriminal activities. Over the span of two years, Wilkins and his associates purportedly launched multiple malware-infested games on Steam, which included titles such as BlockBlasters, Dashverse, Lampy, Lunara, and PirateFi. According to the FBI, these malicious activities impacted approximately 8,000 individuals and led to the hacking of around 80 cryptocurrency wallets, resulting in losses totaling at least $220,000 in cryptocurrency.
Authorities stated that Wilkins and his co-conspirators promoted their harmful games through platforms like Discord, LinkedIn, and Telegram.
Attempts to reach Wilkins’ attorney for comments were unsuccessful.
In March, the FBI had announced an investigation into a hacker believed to be using malware-infused games on Steam to breach victims’ security. The agency urged anyone who had downloaded these harmful games, including those mentioned in the recent complaint, to come forward with evidence to assist in their ongoing investigation.
Over the past year, Valve, the company behind Steam, has removed several games from its platform after discovering they contained malware, including PirateFi. These games were crafted to appear legitimate, allowing players to install and play them, while secretly harboring malware.
The investigation further revealed that federal agents interviewed another individual linked to the criminal activities. This person disclosed that they collaborated with others to generate funds to launch and promote the malicious games, in exchange for a share of the stolen cryptocurrency. The FBI traced specific cryptocurrency transactions connected to this scheme to a crypto account involved in purchasing gift cards, including those for Uber Eats. After obtaining a subpoena from Uber, investigators found that the gift cards were associated with an account that delivered to Wilkins, who was known online by the moniker Sibel.eth, according to the complaint.
Subsequently, the FBI executed a search warrant at Wilkins’ home, where they confiscated his MacBook, cell phones, various devices, and digital wallets. The complaint notes that Wilkins declined to cooperate or answer any questions during the investigation.
