The world of video games was rocked by a scandal involving hacking and cheating during a competitive esports tournament of Apex Legends, a popular free-to-play shooter game played by hundreds of thousands of gamers daily. Hackers managed to insert cheats into the games of two well-known streamers, effectively hacking the players midgame. The players affected by the hacks expressed shock and frustration during live streams of the gameplay.

The incidents led to the organizers of the Apex Legends Global Series tournament, which boasts a $5 million prize pool, to indefinitely postpone the event due to concerns about the integrity of the competition being compromised. The hacks were accompanied by messages displayed on the game’s chatbot, indicating the involvement of the hackers behind the incident.

In an interview, one of the hackers, identified as Destroyer2009, claimed responsibility for the hacks, stating that he did it for fun and to highlight vulnerabilities in the game that needed to be addressed by the developers. The hacks created a stir within the Apex Legends community, with many streamers and players expressing concerns about the safety of the game and the potential risks of being hacked not only in-game but also on their computers.

Destroyer2009, while refusing to provide specific details about how he executed the hacks, emphasized that the vulnerabilities he exploited were related to the game’s process and did not extend beyond the game itself. He mentioned that he did not report the vulnerabilities to the game developer or publisher as there was no bug bounty program in place to reward such disclosures.

The hacks performed by Destroyer2009 during the tournament included inserting cheats into the players’ games, visible through cheat menus that appeared on-screen. Despite the disruptive nature of the hacks, the hacker claimed that his intentions were not malicious and that he targeted specific players because they were well-liked in the community.

In response to the incidents, the game developer, Respawn, issued a statement regarding updates to improve the security of the game and protect the player community. This move was aimed at reassuring players and streamers that steps were being taken to address the issues raised by the hacks during the tournament.

However, questions remain about the level of security within the game and the potential impact of vulnerabilities exploited by hackers. Easy Anti-Cheat, the developers of the anti-cheat engine used in Apex Legends, stated that there was no evidence of a critical vulnerability being exploited, alleviating concerns about remote code execution that could lead to serious security breaches.

Despite the assurances from developers and anti-cheat providers, the incident has raised awareness about the importance of maintaining the security of online games and the risks associated with hacking and cheating. While the hacker responsible for the Apex Legends incident downplayed the potential impact on players, the episode serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges in safeguarding online gaming environments.

Source link