Cyberpunk 2077 is a highly anticipated game, and one worth the wait based on our recently published review, so it's not a huge surprise that criminals are trying to exploit PC gamers who might want to get it sooner. In fact, the crooks are offering a ``free'' copy of Cyberpunk 2077, but of course any reckless and unlucky punter who tries to download the game that costs nothing, at first glance, will end up sorely disappointed. As the security company Kaspersky points out, some such scams are already circulating online. General Setup is a fake website that offers Cyberpunk 2077 as a free download. Any user who downloads the executable and runs it will be presented with a fake installation process, with a real enough Cyberpunk 2077 splash screen, which appears to take some time to install and configure the game, and then prompts for a license key. . to unlock it. To obtain this key, you are redirected to another site where you have to complete a survey, and the requested data includes personal information such as your email address and phone number, which, as Kaspersky notes, is the obvious target here, for use by spammers (or sell to them). Finally, you get a license key, which seems to work with the fake installation of Cyberpunk 2077, but when you try to run the game, you get a ``Missing DLL'' error. There is a button to download this DLL, but it only leads to another investigation, and then the trail goes cold.
It could be worse
Now, anyone who's even vaguely tech-savvy and wants to buy Cyberpunk 2077 is unlikely to fall for the idea that a massive triple-A game could somehow be free at launch, but there will always be outliers or hopeless players. It goes without saying that a free lunch almost always comes at a cost, and in this case, the price is your personal data (and the fact that there's no lunch at the end). It could be worse, of course, and the fake installer could be putting something nasty on your PC. Kaspersky notes that the scams he found are only for the collection of personal data, but it's obviously easy to see how the fake Cyberpunk 2077 executable could install malware. Alternatively, instead of completing a survey, the fake website may ask for a small amount of money for the "license key". Cyberpunk 2077 is set to release very soon on December 10, and this type of scam is likely to increase as cybercriminals try to profit from its shenanigans (or worse). Today's best Cyberpunk 2077 deals Cyberpunk 2077 - PlayStation 4 Cyberpunk 2077 - PlayStation 4 Cyberpunk 2077 standard...
Via Slashgear