In this report, Kaspersky experts analyzed threats related to the most popular online games for 3-16-year-old kids. To reach parents’ devices, cybercriminals purposely create fake game sites evoking children’s interest to follow phishing pages and download malicious files. Phishing pages used by cybercriminals to target young players mostly mimicked global titles including Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, and Apex Legends games. Kaspersky experts observed a 41 percent rise in the number of affected users downloading malicious files disguised as Brawl Stars, reaching about 10 thousand gamers attacked in 2022. The top children’s games ranked by several attacked users even included games for the youngest children – Poppy Playtime and Toca Life World, primarily designed for 3-8-year-old players. Kaspersky’s latest report titled “The dark side of kids’ virtual gaming worlds” revealed the risks for young players in online gaming, and that focused attacks on this age group increased by 57 percent compared to 2021.Īccording to the report, the most popular titles exploited by cybercriminals are Minecraft and Roblox, both in 20. CEBU, Philippines - Cybersecurity and digital privacy company Kaspersky has warned parents to monitor the games played by their children online, as experts have discovered that cybercriminals launched more than seven million attacks on children, exploiting popular game titles in 2022.

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