It seems we are back to the grim reality of malware being distributed via Steam games. In this latest incident, the situation has taken a heart-wrenching turn, with a stage 4 cancer patient losing cryptocurrency earmarked for life-saving medical treatment.

The title at the centre of this storm is 'BlockBlasters', a 2D side-scroller that has since been scrubbed from Steam as of the 22nd. Having launched on July 30th to a 'Very Positive' reception, the game received a nefarious update on August 30th that injected credential-stealing malware. According to investigators from ZachXBT and vx-underground, 478 Steam accounts have been compromised, with the total damages estimated at over $150,000 (approximately 200 million KRW).

Among the victims, one story stands out with particular cruelty. Raivo Plavnieks, a Latvian Twitch streamer known as 'RastaLandTV' currently battling stage 4 sarcoma, had the cryptocurrency reserved for medical expenses—worth $32,000 (roughly 44 million KRW)—drained from their digital wallet. RastaLandTV accepted a promotional offer and ran the infected game during a live broadcast, allowing the malware to siphon the wallet data.

On the 21st, RastaLandTV shared their plight on Twitter, stating, "I cannot breathe, I cannot think. I have no idea what happens next, and I cannot shake the feeling that it is my fault that I might be out on the street or unable to eat in a few days." In a rare show of solidarity, crypto influencer Alex Becker sent $32,500 worth of cryptocurrency to a secure wallet for RastaLandTV, while the wider crypto community has rallied to offer further support.

This is, sadly, not the first time Steam has been weaponised as a delivery vehicle for malware. Last October, developer Benoît Freslon reported that hackers had hijacked their Steam developer account to plant malicious code within their own game, 'NanoWar: Cells VS Virus'.

Earlier this year in February, a 'Trojan' horse was found being distributed via a Steam game titled 'PirateFi'. March saw another incident where 'Sniper: Phantom's Resolution', a game slated for release on the platform, was found to be distributing malware via a demo hosted on an external website linked directly from its official Steam page.

Valve moved to tighten the screws following the account hijacking last October, mandating SMS verification for developers updating games or adding new users to Steamworks accounts. Yet, the persistent attempts to piggyback malware onto Steam titles continue. As the premier PC gaming hub visited by tens of millions daily, it is clear that Steam needs to bolster its security defences further to protect its users.