Cybercriminals Are Trying to Pull a Grand Theft Auto Using Games Like Call of Duty

If you ever see a random pop-up on a website you are visiting, and you see games like Call of Duty, Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto etc, the chances are, a cybercriminal wants you to click that ‘download’ link for some pretty nefarious reasons. Once you do that with an unauthentic link, you might become a victim of one of those malpractitioners.

Kaspersky, a popular cybersecurity company, says in its latest report that there were 19 million attempts using video games to bring in their next victim. The report says,

Titles like GTA, Minecraft and Call of Duty continue to dominate both gameplay hours and social media content, often becoming the backbone of online communities. These games are not only played actively but also serve as platforms for user-generated content, modding and virtual interaction — making them an ideal bait for cybercriminals aiming to blend malicious files with seemingly legitimate add-ons, mods or cheats.

A cyberthreat called Downloader appears to be the primary malicious application these criminals were using, given that it was used in 17.7 million attacks. Others being Trojan, Adware, RiskTool, and more.

GTA is on Top of this List

According to the report, Grand Theft Auto was used 4.4 million times for attempted digital attacks, followed by Call of Duty and Minecraft, with 4.1 million attempts and 2.6 million attempts. Other games include Red Dead Redemption, Assassin’s Creed, The Sims, and more. Phishing is involved here mostly, where cybercriminals will put a juicy deal associated with a game and attempt to grab sensitive information from that user (read that fish) when successfully trapped.

The best way to avoid such scams is to simply not visit suspicious-looking websites and maintain authentic sources yourself. Steam, Epic Store, and more are already some established platforms where you can download games; some are free, and some are not. But they certainly won’t lure you in through malicious content but authentic ones. In case you come across a ‘download link for GTA 6, make sure you know its release date, which is currently May 26, 2026.

For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, here are 7 tips for you to make your life easier as Jan Dolski in The Alters, or see how Dune: Awakening is rapidly climbing the charts. Otherwise, follow Thumb Wars on X, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram to keep up with the latest news, reviews, and interviews.

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Marcus Griggs

Marcus Griggs is a Writer at Thumb Wars, zeroed in on video games, but will also throw himself into anything in association with anime and cinema. As with his favorite video games, give him anything with a linear story, be it Call of Duty or Braid, and he will be happy. He thinks of stories as food and wants to feed his readers something nutritious, food for thought.