Why GTA 5 players should be cautious when searching for game on Google

GTA 5 is one of the most searched video games on Google, but not all the results are good for players.

Being one of the most popular titles ever made, it has sold over 160,000,000 copies worldwide. Users usually search for its related content on Google every day worldwide.

Whether they are looking for cheat codes or mods to install, Google is their first choice to use. According to a new study by Surfshark VPN, the Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the most dangerous searches on Google, which may affect gamers' data and privacy.

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Brief about GTA 5 search study

Surfshark VPN conducted the study to look for the presence of potential malware in Google search results for popular topics, including video games, and GTA 5 was one of them.

The team at Surfshark VPN has curated a list of popular keywords related to the video game and added the words "torrent" and "download" for each individual query in Google. They then picked up the first five search results and ran their URLs through a malware detector at Sucuri SiteCheck.

The team found that 43.5% of results related to the video game were flagged as malicious. The Surfshark VPN describes the study as:

"Give internet users the best chance at protecting themselves from falling into [a] cyberattack trap."

As a result, it becomes essential for individuals to protect themselves from such malware.

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How should players deal with these malicious attacks?

1) Avoid GTA 5 mods

Downloading custom-made mods poses a much greater risk of data and privacy loss. Downloading these mods allows hackers to lure players into malware content, especially if they bundle it with popular mods available on the internet.

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2) Avoid unrealistic topics

Users should avoid topics like “free GTA5 APK”, “How to install it on mobile,” or any other topic that sounds too good to be true. These are obvious indications of contacting malicious URLs that can pose a greater risk.

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3) Always keep anti-virus or Windows Defender turned “on”

Some URLs ask gamers to turn “off” their anti-virus software or in-built Windows Defender to download the required content. They should never do so, no matter how lucrative the download seems.

Doing so allows hackers to insert malware into the system, which may damage individuals’ systems or compromise their privacy.

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To sum it up, fans can always search for video game-related content by being cautious, verifying the URLs, and being alert to these attacks.