Over 78,000 ‘Fortnite’ Players Downloaded a V-Bucks App Infected with a Virus

The massive popularity of “Fortnite” has spawned a new trend that has literally gone viral. Thousands of players have been downloading a fake app for generating the title’s in-game currency called V-Bucks. Unfortunately, the app also comes with a computer virus, which activates a "Man in the Middle Attack" protocol.

The virus apparently came from a YouTube video, which promised viewers several key advantages over others when playing “Fortnite,” the Independent reports. Along with the free V-Bucks, the virus offered aimbot capabilities, which would supposedly give players the ability to hit opponents even if their aim isn’t that good. Naturally, none of these promises were fulfilled.

Instead, the V-Bucks virus intercepts the internet connection of users to redirect them to a specific webpage. The page has been linked to a service called Adtelligent, according to a streaming service called Rainway. In a recent blog post, the service provider details how it discovered the issue and how it got rid of it after filing an abuse report.

Prior to the removal of the file, however, the app was download by over 78,000 players. This is one of the largest computer vulnerability incidents involving “Fortnite” since its launch. It also serves as a warning to players who might be looking for a way to gain an unfair advantage over competitors. Developing their skills and getting good at the Battle Royale shooter is simply the best way to win.

As for what Epic Games, the developer of “Fortnite,” can do to prevent such situations from repeating, Rainway CEO Andrew Sampson suggests education, IGN reports. Avoiding scenarios similar to the V-Bucks virus incident will require Epic to educate its players regarding these malicious activities.

It’s worth pointing out that many of the game’s players are teens and adolescent children, who can be particularly vulnerable to such schemes. Finding the YouTube video that spreads the V-Bucks virus would have only required a search on Google. Any kid can do that, these days.