This year has brought unsettling reminders that even reputed platforms like Steam can be vulnerable to malware. One alarming instance involved a malicious game that siphoned off hundreds of thousands of dollars intended for a streamer battling cancer.

As reported by Tom’s Hardware, a streamer known as RastalandTV attempted to raise $5,000 for treatment related to stage four cancer. After being advised to download a Steam game called BlockBlasters via his chat, he suffered a loss of $32,000. It was later revealed that the game had been compromised with malware, resulting in upwards of $100,000 reported stolen from an array of streamers and content creators.

“For anyone curious about the situation with $CANCER live stream… I was saved for a whole 24 hours until someone suggested I download a verified game on @Steam. After this, I was drained for over $32,000 USD of my creator fees earned on @pumpdotfun…” — RastalandTV

G Data analyzed the situation and noted the infiltration of a ‘game2.bat’ file added to the game in August, emphasizing the very real harms malware can inflict on genuine people.

In this instance, after the issue was flagged, RastalandTV received $30,000 compensation from crypto content creator Alex Becker. This reimbursement allowed RastalandTV to continue towards his treatment goals. This story serves as a vigilant reminder of the existence of malware and its potential to wreak havoc on the lives of unsuspecting individuals.