“Hogwarts Legacy”, the highly anticipated Harry Potter game set in the legendary wizarding world and already a bestseller on Steam and PlayStation 5, is set for its official release today (10 February). But, sadly, Harry and his legion of Potterheads around the world are being actively targeted by cybercriminals offering downloads of cracked “Hogwarts Legacy” games for PCs.
Despite the game only being officially released today, Kaspersky researchers have already found numerous examples of sites offering downloads of “Hogwarts Legacy” on PC. However, in an attempt to download a cracked game, gamers actually download malware or unwanted software on their device.
The downloaded malware may vary from adware, throwing advertisements up on the user’s screen; to trojans, silently collecting information about the user.
“The game about the world of Harry Potter hasn’t even come out yet, but it has already become a real phenomenon, talked about by many gamers around the world,” says Olga Svistunova, a security expert at Kaspersky. “It is especially popular among those who, like me, grew up with the books about the boy wizard, as well as among the younger generation.
“With such a huge fan base, the game has become a target for cybercriminals looking to cash in on the popularity of the world-famous tale,” Svistunova adds. “Our advice, as always, is to be alert and only download games from official app stores – and don’t forget to use a trusted security solution.”