The FBI has arrested a 21-year-old Florida man accused of stealing around $220,000 in cryptocurrency by distributing malware hidden inside video games, several of which were listed on Steam until they were removed earlier this year. The case highlights growing concerns about digital storefronts being used to spread malicious software, particularly as smaller developers and AI-assisted tools make it easier to publish games quickly, potentially outpacing platform security checks.

According to the indictment, the suspect and several co-conspirators ran the operation for roughly two years, embedding malware in eight games that scraped victims' passwords to access their crypto wallets. The titles involved include Lunara, PirateFi, BlockBlasters and Lampy, the last of which was infected via a later update; the group reportedly promoted the games on social media and used bots to target likely crypto holders. Investigators traced the suspect after linking stolen Bitcoin to gift cards used mainly for UberEats orders.