Fortnite is the most popular video game in the world, and with that popularity comes the threat of cyberatttacks designed to steal users’ personal information and gain access to their accounts. The latest vulnerability found in the game, however, let hackers spy on players using their computers’ microphones.
Discovered by the research firm Check Point Software Technologies, the vulnerability could give hackers access to a user’s account, letting them see their personal information, use their microphone to eavesdrop, or buy in-game items. the flaw has been fixed.
To initiate the attack, the player had to click on a malicious link emailed to them, which then gave the attacker access to the user’s “login token.” The attacker could then play as if they were the victim, as well as listen to the voice communications intended for the owner of the account.
The flaw was created because the Epic Games accounts page had not been validated, and thus it could be redirected to a separate, malicious webpage, where a user’s login token could be sent for the hacker to then access using custom JavaScript code.
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Check Point also reinforced that users should add two-factor authentication to their Epic Games accounts. Using this, they’ll receive an email with a code after entering the correct password on their account, and cannot login without access to both. The system is available on most major game platforms, including Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, though it is optional.
“The underlying takeaway, however, is to always be vigilant when receiving links sent from unknown sources,” the firm added.
Luckily, if you haven’t fallen for the attack yet, it doesn’t appear you can in the future — Epic Games fixed the vulnerability already.
“We were made aware of the vulnerabilities and they were soon addressed,” Epic Games told Variety in a statement. “We thank Check Point for bringing this to our attention.”
Fortnite is now available with cross-play on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, iOS, and Android. It’s now one of two games to feature cross-play between PlayStation 4 and other consoles, as Rocket League just enabled the feature earlier this week.
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