Fortnite left players exposed to 'massive invasion of privacy'

msn ^ | 01/16/2019 | Margi Murphy

[BenLurkin]

Children playing Fortnite were exposed to a potential “massive invasion of privacy” thanks to an oversight in the game’s security, researchers have revealed.

The popular shooting game enjoyed by more than 80 million people around the world left users vulnerable to a flaw that if exploited, allowed hackers to steal virtual currency and read private conversations online.

To take control, the researchers sent a message to their victim over social media including a malicious link. Once clicked, the user’s Fortnite authentication token - code that confirms a user is logged in - could be captured by the attacker without the user entering their username or password.

It comes as the police’s fraud arm warned that scammers are using the multiplayer Battle Royale-style game to trick young players into handing over their parents’ bank details.

Criminals are increasingly targeting children on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube with adverts claiming to offer free "V-bucks", a currency used to buy extras like character outfits.

After clicking the link, victims can be asked questions about their account, which the perpetrator uses to log in, and steal credit or debit card details that are stored there.

[dfwgator]

Shocked, just shocked! /s

[Openurmind]

And this is why we do not need driverless cars or all digital currency. If there is any possibility at all someone will indeed find it. It’s just not worth the risk at all.