Fake Pokemon NFT Games Spread Malware, ‘Jai Ho’ Chants to Launch Metaverse and More

by · January 8, 2023

Hackers hide malware in fake NFT games

A phishing website pretending to offer a Pokemon-branded nonfungible token (NFT) card game has spread malware to unsuspecting players, a cyber security firm has warned.

The website, which at the time of writing was still online, also claims to offer an NFT marketplace, with a link to buy tokens and even an area to bet NFTs, all based on the popular Japanese media franchise.

However, an arm of South Korean cybersecurity firm AhnLab warned the public about the site on January 6, noting that instead of downloading the game, users were actually downloading a remote access tool – allowing hackers to take control of their device.

A screenshot of the phishing site, the “Play on PC” link at the bottom of the image downloads malware.

The tool, known as NetSupport Manager, will allow the attackers to not only remotely control the computer’s mouse and keyboard, but also access the system’s file manager and history along with executing commands that allow them to install additional malware, the firm warned.

The public has been advised to only purchase or download applications from official websites and not to open attachments in suspicious emails.

The composer behind ‘Jai Ho’ to spin up the metaverse

Allah Rakha Rahman, the Indian composer and singer known for the Grammy Award-winning song Jai Ho launches its own metaverse platform for artists and their music.

Rahman tweeted on January 6 that his “Katraar” metaverse “is one step closer to launch” along with a video of him explaining the upcoming platform which will use “decentralized technology” according to the website.

In the video, Rahman said his vision for the platform was to “bring in new talent, technologies and […] direct income for artists”, with one income stream apparently being the integration of NFTs.

“Right now we’re working with the HBAR Foundation to do a lot of cool things, one brings a lot of NFTs.”

HBAR Foundation is a not-for-profit independent organization of distributed ledger company, Hedera Hashgraph, creator of the ledger and cryptocurrency Hedera (HBAR).

Rahman added that it is also “an undisclosed project based on virtual beings”, but did not provide further details.

2023’s first week of NFT sales jumped 26%

The post-Christmas blues appear to have abated, at least for the NFT market, with sales volume jumping nearly 26% in the first week of 2023, compared to the previous week.

According to data from market measurement aggregator Cryptoslam, NFT sales volume was over $211.4 million in the seven days ending January 7, with around 1.2 million NFTs transacted between over 400,000 buyers.

The number of buyers increased by 17% on the week, but transactions increased by just over 2.5%.

Ethereum-based NFTs remained popular, with sales on the blockchain up nearly 26%.

The top three collections for the week were similarly Ethereum natives with Yuga Labs’ Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) in first place, seeing nearly $19 million in turnover, up almost 50% in terms of volume.

The Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) Collection was second, with an 80% increase in volume to reach a sales volume of $14 million. Azuki came in third with a 132% volume increase, bringing in $12.7 million in sales.

Each frame of feature film marked as an NFT

The makers of the 2022 thriller film, The Rideshare Killer has released nearly 120,000 unique NFTs in what it has called the “first ‘every frame minted’ (EFM) film.”

Exactly 119,170 NFTs, each representing one frame of the 83-minute movie shot at 24 frames per second, were minted on the Polygon (MATIC) blockchain, according to a Jan. 5 release.

The film’s producer, Tony Greenberg, said he believed NFTs “will change the independent film landscape” as they offer a “potentially prized collectible” to fans and a “sustainable source of income for artists.”

The film may have to rely on NFT sales to break even if reviews are anything to go by.

It currently holds a rating of 4/10 across eight reviews on the online film database and review website IMDb, with one critic saying the film “should never have been made.”

Other good news

YouTuber and sports drink trader Logan Paul has reversed his threat to sue Stephen “Coffeezilla” Findeisen for defamation over allegations by Findeisen that Paul’s NFT project “CryptoZoo” was a scam.

NFT marketplace SuperRare has gutted 30% of its staff as it “overstaffed” during the crypto bull market according to CEO John Crain. He added that the company is “facing headwinds” likely due to the ongoing crypto winter.