Xbox One And PlayStation 4 Launches Brought Hacker Frenzy, Reports Kaspersky Lab

The launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One brought about a frenzy to more than just the gamer front. According to Kaspersky Lab, coinciding with the consoles' respective launches, instances of cyber attacks skyrocketed as hackers sought — and continue to seek — to take advantage of the latest onslaught of gamers. The attacks aren't limited to just the latest consoles, however, with attacks increasing against PC gamers and such as well.

Since the consoles' launches, Kaspersky Lab has noted cyberattacks against both the Sony and Microsoft units, showing a spike in various sorts of game-related hackery that coincides with the November launches. Across the globe, Kaspersky Lab says there's an average daily cyber attack rate of 34,000. Beyond that, millions of instances of malware are targeting the latest consoles.

Both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles are vulnerable to some 4.6 million instances of game-centric malware in the wild, according to Kaspersky. The security company took a particular look at Europe, where its numbers show Spain gamers being most targeted with 138,786 attacks in 2013. Poland followed this up with 127,509 over the course of this year, and Italy was under six figures at 75,080.

Said Kaspersky Lab Senior Security Researcher David Emm: "We've just seen two of the biggest console launches ever, with the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. That means there will be more gamers for criminals to target, especially as the Sony and Microsoft machines increasingly use the Internet for a fuller gaming experience. And don't forget the PC, still the most popular gaming platform and cyber crooks' favorite target."

VIA: Gamespot

SOURCE: Consumer Affairs