Hamster Kombat: Entertainment, addiction, or financial threat?

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The game raises serious concerns among the Russian authorities.

The super-popular telegram game Hamster Kombat, in which users earn virtual coins by clicking on a hamster, should be banned in Russia, said Anatoly Aksakov, chairman of the State Duma Committee on the Financial Market. He considers the game "clearly fraudulent" due to manipulation and use of the psychology of citizens.

According to Aksakov, such games encourage people to easily get rich without real work, which is especially dangerous for young people. The game also has additional tasks, such as watching videos on YouTube, for which "hamster coins" are awarded. These videos are gaining millions of views in a matter of hours, which is alarming.

Despite its popularity, the game raises concerns among the authorities. In some countries, Hamster Kombat is considered a potential threat. In Russia, there have already been cases of parents turning to psychiatrists because of their children's excessive enthusiasm for the game. Some critics call the game a pyramid scheme, and in some countries players face fines for trying to exchange virtual currency for real money.

The creators of Hamster Kombat promise the ability to convert game savings into real money through cryptocurrency exchanges, which attracts a lot of attention from users. However, there are no exact terms and guarantees yet. The game uses various mechanics, such as watching videos and inviting friends, which helps you quickly increase your profit.

Hamster Kombat has attracted 239 million subscribers in three months and continues to grow rapidly. The developers plan to release their own cryptocurrency on the TON blockchain, which will further increase interest in the game and the platform.

A new scam scheme involving the popular Hamster Kombat game was recently discovered. Scammers send Russian users links to a phishing site that allegedly allows them to withdraw game coins and exchange them for rubles. The operation requires authorization in Telegram, during which users enter their credentials on a fake page. Thus, attackers gain access to personal accounts in the messenger.

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Hamster Eats Your Money: What Hamster Kombat Players Are Really Fighting For

Scammers use the popularity of Hamster Kombat to spy and steal funds.

In recent months, the game Hamster Kombat has gained huge popularity among cryptocurrency enthusiasts. A seemingly simple game that requires multiple taps on the screen of a mobile device attracts users with the opportunity to earn large sums when the game creators launch the promised token.

The success of Hamster Kombat has led to many imitators who copy the game's name, icon, and even gameplay. Although most of these apps are not malicious and earn money from embedded advertising, ESET researchers have found that cybercriminals have begun to use the popularity of Hamster Kombat to spread malware.

ESET experts have identified several types of threats related to Hamster Kombat, distributed through unofficial sources. Among them:

• malicious Android apps distributed through unofficial Telegram channels;
• fake app stores that offer unwanted ads;
• GitHub repositories that distribute Lumma Stealer under the guise of game automation tools.

Among the threats for Android, Ratel spyware disguised as Hamster Kombat and distributed through the Telegram channel was discovered. The malware can intercept notifications and send SMS messages, using the victim's funds to pay for subscriptions and services. Although the malicious app uses the name Hamster Kombat to attract potential victims, it doesn't contain any of the features found in the game, and it doesn't even have a user interface.

The malicious app asks for permission to access notifications during installation and asks you to set it as the default SMS app

In addition, fake websites were identified that mimic the interfaces of app stores, which instead of installing the game show unwanted ads.

Fake websites that mimic the app store interface

Even though Hamster Kombat is a mobile game, cybercriminals have also targeted Windows users. Malicious repositories on GitHub offer tools for game automation (farm bots and autoclickers) that actually migrate Lumma Stealer. The infostealer, usually distributed through pirated software and spam, targets cryptocurrency wallets, user credentials, and other sensitive data.

Example of a GitHub repository that distributes Lumma Stealer under the guise of a farm bot

The popularity of Hamster Kombat makes the game an attractive target for intruders, and new threats can be expected in the future. To protect themselves from malware, users are advised to download apps only from trusted sources. Unofficial channels and repositories may contain dangerous programs that can cause serious damage.

The game caused alarm among the authorities of Russia, Uzbekistan and Ukraine due to the promises of easy earnings and possible risks, and also attracted the attention of scammers who are trying to cash in on the popular game. The F. A. C. C. T organization recently discovered a hacking campaign in which attackers used the game to gain access to victims ' cryptocurrency wallets. To steal digital assets, "drainers" were used — malware that siphons funds to fraudsters ' accounts. In addition, hackers tried to hijack the accounts of players, offering them to log in to a fake bot of the game under the guise of an official one.

Kaspersky Lab recently reported that cybercriminals are also using Hamster Kombat to steal Telegram accounts from Russian users. Hackers send phishing links to fake services that allegedly allow you to withdraw in-game coins and convert them into rubles.