World of Warcraft Trojan Steals Items to Sell for Cash

A new password-stealing Trojan is invading Azeroth. The Trojan carries the name PWS.Win32.WOW.x and steals player’s passwords, and then uses them to transfer items from that players inventory around the game. These stolen goods are then sold for real cash online, where the trade in MMORPG goods is huge.

“Win32.WOW is a clear indication that malware writers are targeting anything that involves money,“ said MicroWorld chief executive Govind Rammurthy in a statement. “Bucks may be smaller compared to a Trojan that steals bank accounts or credit card numbers…[but] cyber criminals are not complaining as long as the target is soft and numbers are high.“

The Trojan wreaks havok via traditional vectors, such as e-mail and peer-to-peer file sharing. It has also been sighted while it installs in a drive-by download from gaming sites’ pop-up ads. More info about this as it develops, so for now, be wary.

A new password-stealing Trojan is invading Azeroth. The Trojan carries the name PWS.Win32.WOW.x and steals player’s passwords, and then uses them to transfer items from that players inventory around the game. These stolen goods are then sold for real cash online, where the trade in MMORPG goods is huge.

“Win32.WOW is a clear indication that malware writers are targeting anything that involves money,“ said MicroWorld chief executive Govind Rammurthy in a statement. “Bucks may be smaller compared to a Trojan that steals bank accounts or credit card numbers…[but] cyber criminals are not complaining as long as the target is soft and numbers are high.“

The Trojan wreaks havok via traditional vectors, such as e-mail and peer-to-peer file sharing. It has also been sighted while it installs in a drive-by download from gaming sites’ pop-up ads. More info about this as it develops, so for now, be wary.