News of the Cyber World

[kyonides]

Microsoft inks 10-year Nvidia game deal to ease Activision concerns

Microsoft has struck a 10-year deal to bring “Call of Duty” and other Activision games to Nvidia’s gaming platform, if the Xbox maker is allowed to complete its much-contested $69 billion acquisition of Activision.

Regulators and competitors like Sony have come out hard against the proposed Microsoft-Activision tie-up, and a Nvidia deal could allay concerns by ensuring more ways for consumers to get games controlled by Microsoft.

Britain earlier this month said the deal could harm gamers by weakening the rivalry between Xbox and PlayStation, resulting in higher prices, fewer choices and less innovation for millions of players, as well as stifling competition in cloud gaming.
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Phil Eisler, vice president and general manager of Nvidia’s GeForce Now segment, said that titles such that “Call of Duty” will not be available on Nvidia’s service unless Microsoft acquires Activision but that other Microsoft-owned titles such as “Minecraft” are covered immediately under the 10-year license agreement.
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Eisler said Nvidia is not paying Microsoft for access to the titles, which is the same arrangement the company has with other gaming companies such as “Fortnite” maker Epic Games. Instead, Nvidia’s 25 million customers will need to pay Nvidia for access to its cloud gaming platform and pay Microsoft for its games.
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European officials issued Microsoft a warning about the deal earlier this month, while the Federal Trade Commission has asked a judge to block it. The UK competition watchdog has said Microsoft may have to divest “Call of Duty.”

Smith said he hoped that rival Sony Group will consider doing the same type of deal with Nvidia.

ChromeLoader Malware Targeting Gamers via Fake Nintendo and Steam Game Hacks

A new ChromeLoader malware campaign has been observed being distributed via virtual hard disk (VHD) files, marking a deviation from the ISO optical disc image format.

"These VHD files are being distributed with filenames that make them appear like either hacks or cracks for Nintendo and Steam games," AhnLab Security Emergency response Center (ASEC) said in a report last week.

ChromeLoader (aka Choziosi Loader or ChromeBack) originally surfaced in January 2022 as a browser-hijacking credential stealer but has since evolved into a more potent, multifaceted threat capable of stealing sensitive data, deploying ransomware, and even dropping decompression bombs.

The primary goal of the malware is to compromise web browsers like Google Chrome, and modify the browser settings to intercept and direct traffic to dubious advertising websites. What's more, ChromeLoader has emerged as a conduit to carry out click fraud by leveraging a browser extension to monetize clicks.
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The infection chain indicates that users looking for pirated software and video game cheats are the main targets, leading to the download of VHD files from fraudulent websites appearing on search results pages.

Some of the game titles and popular software used are Elden Ring, Dark Souls III, Red Dead Redemption 2, Need for Speed, Call of Duty, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey, Microsoft Office, and Adobe Photoshop.

"Major" cyberattack compromised sensitive U.S. Marshals Service data

The U.S. Marshals Service is investigating a major ransomware attack that has compromised some of its most sensitive information...

The cyberattack was considered a "major incident" by officials, impacting a "stand-alone" system (meaning it is not connected to a larger federal network) within the service, an agency spokesperson said Monday. The attack was discovered on Feb. 17.

"Shortly after that discovery, the USMS disconnected the affected system, and the Department of Justice initiated a forensic investigation," said Drew Wade, spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service.

According to Wade, cybercriminals were able to obtain administrative data, like personal information of certain employees, and about wanted fugitives, as well as information on unidentified third parties. The affected system also contained sensitive law enforcement information, including about ongoing legal procedures.

Beware! New WhiteSnake Malware Attack Windows & Linux Users

At the beginning of this month, this malicious stealer had been identified for the first time on the cybercrime forums. Moreover, this stealer is attainable in variants tailored for both major operating systems: Windows and Linux.

In terms of sensitive information, it has the capability to gather a range of data, including:

• Passwords
  
• Cookies
  
• Credit card numbers
  
• Debit card number
  
• Taking Screenshots
  
• Other personal data
  
• Other financial data
  

A Telegram bot is used by the Stealer to send the stolen files as soon as they have been collected and compressed. Since this info stealer is still in its development phase, so, it is updated by the threat actors on a daily basis.