It has been reported that hackers have targeted Roblox profiles to support Donald Trump in the forthcoming US presidential election.Users of the online multiplayer game complained their profiles were hacked with the message: “Ask your parents to vote for Trump this year!” and “MAGA2020”, an abbreviation of Make America Great Again. Players have reported that in-game messages have been sent from the hacked profiles to the account holders’ friends, urging them to support Trump in the November vote. Hacked avatars have been dressed in existing in-game accessories which resemble items worn by Trump supporters. This includes a red hat with “Running of the bulls” written in white, which looks like the Make America Great Again hats that the US president favours.
Commenting on this, Sam Curry, chief security officer at Cybereason, said “There are three certainties in life – death, taxes and hackings/misinformation campaigns relating to the 2020 presidential election. Companies should expect the unexpected, as should consumers and gamers. Everyone should cultivate a skeptical mentality and be aware that you are being targeted with ads, hacks, and phishing. Even if you support a candidate, ask yourself “is this the candidate I think it is?” before clicking. No matter who gets your donations, your active support or your vote, make sure that you aren’t in fact being conned or hacked. Decide when you want to take part and reach out rather than react or respond to anything that comes your way. Not only is a culture of skepticism essential for democracy and its ideals, it happens to be the best mindset and instincts for only survival and digital fluency. And don’t forget to vote.“
Tim Mackey, principal security strategist at the Synopsys CyRC (Cybersecurity Research Centre), added “We all know that attackers play by their own rules, and from a cybersecurity perspective, it would be good if the Roblox team details the system weaknesses exploited in this attack. Parents want their children to have a safe online experience, so any details of new protections against any future attacks would go a long way to restoring confidence with parents in the safety of the Roblox platform.”
