Crypto Jacking Threat Lurks in Online Games, Trend Micro Warns

Cybersecurity firm Trend Micro has highlighted the vulnerability of online games to illegal cryptocurrency mining in the Philippines, which boasts one of the world’s largest mobile gaming communities.

“Mining cryptocurrencies requires significant processing power and consumes a substantial amount of energy,” stated Myla Pilao, Trend Micro’s technology marketing director. “Due to these high costs, some miners resort to ‘crypto jacking,’ which involves the unauthorized embedding of mining scripts within online games, advertisements, and other high-traffic websites.”

Recently, players of League of Legends in the Philippines were targeted by crypto jacking. The multiplayer online battle arena game experienced an “unauthorized modification” of its client lobby, where a JavaScript used for cryptocurrency mining was inserted.

Pilao emphasized the ongoing risks associated with this issue, which can affect both gamers and the gaming industry as a whole.