If you've ever hung out in the Twitch chat of even a moderately popular streamer, you'll have realised what a madhouse it can sometimes be in the chats. Those without a good modbot, moderators or an engaged slowmode can quickly become unreadable. Now there's a new hazard that's going around, that Twitch Support have warned users about in their tweets.
Security PSA: Do not click the "csgoprize" link in chat. This is a phishing attempt to install malware and compromise your Steam account.^JM
— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) September 12, 2014
The hazard, which is a chatbot that asks users to follow a link for the chance to win CS:GO items in-game. It leads to a site that asks for the user's name, e-mail and permission to publish their name. Of course it does nothing of the sort, instead installing malicious software that compromises the user's Steam account, taking screens, adding friends, placing items from the user's account onto the market at reduced prices and being able to purchase other items and trade them. The point of the software is to use the victim's common items to gain enough points to buy rarer items and then trade them over to another recently added 'friend' Steam account as well as empty the victim's account of anything else of value.
The ruse uses the victim's own machine to avoid getting caught by Steam's own 'new machine' security features that prevents other such methods of accomplishing the same results and Twitch are currently working to block out the chatbots and protect against the malicious links.
