{
  "family": "gampass",
  "sample_count": 2,
  "category": "trojan",
  "description": "Trojan-PSW:Win32/Gampass is a specialized credential stealer designed specifically to target the lucrative online gaming market. Unlike traditional banking trojans, Gampass targets authentication credentials for platforms like Steam, Origin, Battle.net, and specific MMOs (e.g., World of Warcraft). The attacker's goal is to hijack the accounts to steal and sell valuable virtual items, in-game currency, or the accounts themselves on gray-market forums (`T1552`).<br><br><b>Understanding Gampass (Gaming Credential Stealers)</b><br>To an end-user, the infection often goes unnoticed until they attempt to log into their game and find their password changed or their virtual inventory emptied. For threat intelligence, Gampass represents a massive, highly organized underground economy. Because gaming platforms historically had weaker Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) adoption than banks, they became prime targets for rapid monetization.<br><br><b>Execution and Theft Mechanics</b><br>Gampass is usually distributed via gaming-related channels: fake 'cheats', 'aimbots', 'currency generators', or malicious links posted in gaming Discord servers or forums (`T1566.002`). Upon execution, the trojan rarely attempts deep persistence. Instead, it immediately scans the file system for specific registry keys, configuration files (`.vdf` files for Steam), or session tokens associated with targeted gaming clients (`T1005`). It also implements keylogging (`T1056.001`) to capture the username and password when the user next logs into the game client. The stolen data is quickly exfiltrated to a C2 server.<br><br><b>Indicators of Compromise & Impact</b><br>The impact is the loss of the gaming account and associated virtual assets, which can represent significant real-world monetary value. Host-based IoCs include EDR alerts for unknown executables accessing the specific installation directories of gaming clients (e.g., `C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Steam`), unauthorized API hooking of keyboard input (`SetWindowsHookEx`), and the rapid creation and deletion of temporary files used for staging stolen data. Network IoCs involve outbound HTTP/FTP traffic to exfiltrate the credentials.",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.",
  "aliases": [],
  "enrichment_level": "expert-seo",
  "faq": [],
  "faq_count": 0,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1005",
    "T1552",
    "T1056.001"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-06-09",
  "mitre_attack_detail": [
    {
      "id": "T1552",
      "name": "Unsecured Credentials (Searching for saved session tokens and config files)",
      "tactic": "Credential Access"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1056.001",
      "name": "Input Capture: Keylogging (Capturing passwords entered into game clients)",
      "tactic": "Credential Access"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1005",
      "name": "Data from Local System (Staging targeted files for exfiltration)",
      "tactic": "Collection"
    }
  ],
  "containment_steps": [
    "Isolate the infected machine and run a full anti-malware scan to remove the keylogger and credential stealing components.",
    "The victim MUST initiate account recovery procedures with the affected gaming platforms from a *different, clean device*.",
    "Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA/MFA) on all gaming platforms and associated email accounts.",
    "Educate users (especially younger demographics) about the severe risks of downloading 'cheats', 'cracks', or 'free currency' generators."
  ],
  "what_to_avoid": [
    "Do not attempt to change passwords on the infected machine, as the keylogger will simply capture the new password.",
    "Avoid reusing the same password across multiple gaming platforms, as a compromise on one will lead to a credential stuffing attack on the others."
  ],
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ]
}