{
  "family": "mmorpg",
  "sample_count": 1,
  "category": "trojan",
  "description": "<h3>Executive Summary</h3>\nMMORPG (often detected as Trojan.PWS.MMORPG or Spyware.MMORPG) is a specialized class of Password Stealing Trojans (PWS) engineered specifically to target gamers. Its primary objective is to covertly harvest login credentials, session tokens, and valuable in-game assets from popular Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (like World of Warcraft, Lineage, or Steam accounts) and transmit them to cybercriminals for financial gain.\n\n<h3>Infection Vector and Technical Capabilities</h3>\nMMORPG trojans are almost exclusively distributed through gaming-related channels. They are frequently disguised as game \"cracks,\" aimbots, \"gold farming\" tools, or unofficial third-party mods downloaded from untrustworthy forums and peer-to-peer networks.\n\nUpon execution, the Trojan focuses entirely on targeted espionage:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Targeted Credential Harvesting:</strong> Unlike generic keyloggers, MMORPG trojans are highly specialized. They actively monitor the active process list for specific game executables (e.g., `wow.exe`). When the target game is launched, the trojan intercepts the keystrokes entered specifically into the login fields.</li>\n<li><strong>Memory Scraping and Session Theft:</strong> Advanced variants do not rely solely on keylogging. They utilize memory scraping techniques to read the game's memory space, extracting decrypted passwords, or stealing active session tokens to bypass two-factor authentication (2FA).</li>\n<li><strong>Asset Theft:</strong> The stolen credentials are sent to a C2 server. Attackers then log into the victim's account, strip the character of all valuable items and virtual currency, and sell them on real-world grey markets for massive profits.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>Threat Assessment</h3>\nWhile MMORPG trojans typically do not destroy the operating system or encrypt files, they represent a highly lucrative form of cybercrime. The theft of high-level gaming accounts often results in significant financial loss for the victim and fuels a massive underground economy.\n\n<h3>Incident Response and Remediation</h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Endpoint Eradication:</strong> Utilize a reputable enterprise-grade anti-malware solution to perform a deep system scan to remove the trojan and its associated persistence mechanisms (usually hidden scheduled tasks or registry run keys).</li>\n<li><strong>Immediate Account Recovery:</strong> The victim must immediately attempt to recover their compromised gaming accounts from a known-secure, uninfected device. This involves changing passwords, revoking active sessions, and ensuring hardware-based Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is enabled.</li>\n<li><strong>Application Control:</strong> To prevent infection, users must strictly avoid downloading and executing unverified third-party \"mods\" or cheating utilities, which are the primary delivery mechanism for this class of malware.</li>\n</ul>",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.",
  "aliases": [
    "Trojan.PWS.MMORPG",
    "Spyware.OnlineGames",
    "Win32/PWS.MMORPG"
  ],
  "enrichment_level": "insufficient_information",
  "faq": [],
  "faq_count": 0,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1056.001",
    "T1555",
    "T1059",
    "T1113"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-07-01T17:22:16Z",
  "type": "Password Stealer (PWS)",
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ]
}