Trojan helps hackers get more Lineage points

Non-gamers are also threatened by the Legmir-Y Trojan because apart from taking game passwords it also attempts to disable security software and leaves PCs open to attack from more common -- and possibly more dangerous -- pieces of malware.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos said it is sad that some people are so desperate to do well in an imaginary world that they are willing to commit a crime in the real world, but warns that the Trojan is far from harmless.

"Disturbingly, the Legmir-Y Trojan horse also attempts to turn off antivirus software and security-related applications, leaving the door open for future hacker attacks," said Cluley, who pointed out that a number of popular multi-player games have been targeted in the past by malware, including Outwar and Legend of Mir.

"It is more and more common for the analysts in our virus lab to discover that, as well as causing disruption, a piece of new malware is designed to steal registration keys, passwords and data from players of computer games," said Cluley.