A Florida college student has been arrested after U.S. investigators accused him of putting malware inside video games uploaded to Steam, one of the world’s biggest PC gaming platforms. According to the FBI and federal prosecutors, the games looked real and could be played, but they secretly infected players’ computers after installation. Investigators said the malware stole passwords, personal data and cryptocurrency wallet details.
Authorities believe about 8,000 people were affected and at least 80 crypto wallets were hacked, leading to losses of more than $220,000 in cryptocurrency over the past two years.
Zyaire Wilkins and Steam malware case
The FBI arrested 21-year-old Florida resident and student Zyaire Wilkins on Tuesday. A criminal complaint filed by federal prosecutors the next day accused him and several unnamed co-conspirators of running the scheme. According to the complaint, they uploaded malware-infected games to Steam over the last two years.
The games named in the complaint include BlockBlasters, Dashverse, Lampy, Lunara and PirateFi. Investigators said the titles appeared legitimate and players could install and play them. However, the malware hidden inside the games allegedly collected passwords and other sensitive information before targeting victims’ cryptocurrency wallets.
According to the FBI, the group promoted the games on Discord, LinkedIn and Telegram to attract more downloads. The bureau believes around 8,000 people downloaded the infected games, while at least 80 cryptocurrency wallets were later compromised. Prosecutors said the stolen cryptocurrency was worth at least $220,000.
Earlier this year, the FBI publicly asked anyone who had downloaded the affected Steam games to come forward and share evidence. The request was part of an investigation announced in March. Valve, the company behind Steam, has also removed several games linked to malware from its platform over the past year, including PirateFi.
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How FBI traced the Steam malware case to Zyaire Wilkins?
According to the criminal complaint, investigators first identified another person allegedly involved in the operation and interviewed them. That person reportedly told agents that members of the group helped raise money to develop and market the games in exchange for a share of the stolen cryptocurrency.
The FBI then tracked a cryptocurrency account that investigators believe was connected to the operation. According to the complaint, some of the cryptocurrency was used to buy gift cards, including Uber Eats gift cards.
After obtaining records from Uber, investigators found that the gift cards were linked to an account that made deliveries to Wilkins. The complaint also says Wilkins used the online nickname “Sibel.eth.”
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Federal agents later searched Wilkins’ home with a warrant and seized a MacBook, mobile phones, digital wallets and other electronic devices. According to the complaint, Wilkins refused to speak with investigators or answer their questions. His lawyer did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.