A scammy Steam user has come up with Chrome extensions that can steal the Steam inventory of his victims and send the items to himelf.
Panda Security researcher Bart Blaze unearthed the scam via TeamFortress.tv.
The extensions Blaze uncovered include:
- CSGODouble Theme Changer
- CS:GO Double Withdraw Helper
- Csgodouble AutoGambling Bot
- Improved CSGODouble
"Instead of being able to change your CS:GO Double theme, your items from your inventory are getting stolen," says Blaze in his blog post. "[I]nstead of trading with X or Y person you trust, the items then go to the scammer rather than whoever you're trading with."
As the extensions' names imply, the scam is aimed at users of "Counter Strike Global Offensive" (CS:GO). The scammer with a public display name Delta advertised these extensions as auto-gambling bots or as helpers for carrying out Steam trades.
While removing other Steam stealers requires much work, this time, removing these Chrome extensions is a piece of cake.
Here is a simple step-by-step guide in wiping out the extension from Google Chrome:
1. Click the Menu option on your browser.
2. Choose More Tools, and then select Extensions.
3. Press the Remove from Chrome option to remove the extension you selected.
4. You will then be prompted to remove the extension you selected. Click Remove.
Blaze says that cybercriminals appear to be cleverly deceptive these days and "better in attempting to steal items or account credentials... from unsuspecting users."
As such, he reminds Steam users to think twice before installing anything, whether it be an image, screensaver or extension.
Moreover, this is a reminder that users should not immediately trust third-party tools, especially if these are rolled out by third-party distributors or marketplaces, appear too-good-to-be-true and are free of charge.
Back in June last year, Valve tweaked Steam's Trade Scams Policy, indicating that it will no longer restore in-game items people lose in Steam trade scams.
Before the policy was amended, Steam users were able to ask Valve for help in restoring the items that were ripped off via Steam trade scams, including skins, weapons and more.
Valve said users should be vigilant in making their trades and pushed out enough information on the site and within the trading system in hopes of helping its users steer clear of scams.
