A livestream fundraiser for cancer patient Raivo Plavnieks lost more than $32,000 in cryptocurrency after he downloaded BlockBlasters, a free Steam game suggested by someone in chat. Reporting and malware analysis point to a malicious update added on August 30, 2025—not necessarily to the game’s original release. The game was removed from Steam by September 21, 2025.
What happened to the fundraiser donations?
Plavnieks, who streams as RastalandTV, was raising money for treatment of stage 4 high-grade sarcoma when a viewer suggested he try BlockBlasters. He downloaded the game during the livestream. BleepingComputer reported on September 22, 2025, that more than $32,000 in cryptocurrency was stolen. The report also said that Alex Becker sent $32,500 to a safe wallet to compensate Plavnieks; that is a reported transfer, not a current update on the fundraiser’s balance or progress. BleepingComputer’s September 22 report includes Plavnieks’s post about the incident.
When was BlockBlasters infected?
BlockBlasters was a free-to-play 2D platformer published by Genesis Interactive. BleepingComputer reported that it was available on Steam from July 30 through September 21, 2025, and that the game appeared safe until a malicious component was added in an August 30 update. The SteamDB depot history records manifests on July 30, August 30, and September 21, corroborating that update sequence. BleepingComputer and G DATA reported that the game had been removed from Steam by September 21.
That timeline matters: the reporting describes a later change to the game, not proof that the original release was malicious. It also does not establish that every person who downloaded the game received an infected version. A Steam verification badge should not be treated as a guarantee that a program is safe, but this incident is not evidence that every Steam game is dangerous.
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How did the malware target cryptocurrency?
G DATA’s analysis of the August 30 patch describes a Windows batch file that gathered system and location information, checked for security products, collected Steam login-session details, and sent information to a command-and-control server. It then unpacked password-protected archives. According to G DATA, another script added the payload folder to Microsoft Defender’s exclusion list before running the payloads.
The analyzed sample included a Python-compiled backdoor and a StealC information stealer. G DATA says StealC searched data associated with Chrome, Brave, and Edge, while other components targeted cryptocurrency wallet and browser-extension information. These are behaviors documented in the analyzed sample; they do not show that the malware could defeat every security product or that all BlockBlasters downloads were infected. See G DATA’s technical analysis for its findings.
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How many people were affected?
Publicly reported estimates differ and have not been reconciled in the cited coverage. BleepingComputer attributed one estimate—261 Steam accounts and $150,000 reportedly stolen—to investigator ZachXBT. It separately attributed a count of 478 victims to VXUnderground. These are attributed estimates, not an official confirmed victim count; an account count and a victim count may also describe different measures.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should you do if you installed BlockBlasters?
Do not try to reinstall or run the removed game to check whether you were exposed. If you installed it during the period it was available, treat the device and any accounts or wallets used on it as potentially exposed and get help from a qualified incident-response professional if significant assets are involved. BleepingComputer’s September 22, 2025 article advised affected users to reset Steam passwords and move digital assets to new wallets. That dated advice is not a complete incident-response plan: account MFA can protect account sign-ins, but it does not by itself stop malware on a device from collecting browser data or wallet secrets.
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The cited reporting does not establish a particular antivirus product, security key, or other physical product that would have prevented this theft. Avoid relying on a single badge or security layer as proof that a downloaded program is safe.
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