The Apex Legends Global Series North American finals were thrown into chaos when two players were targeted by hackers mid-match, forcing the event to be postponed. Easy Anti-Cheat, the software designed to prevent cheating in the game, denied any remote code execution vulnerability that could have been exploited in the attack.
The first hack affected Noyan “Genburten” Ozkose of DarkZero, allowing him to see all players on the map through walls. Despite being at a disadvantage, his teammate managed to secure second place in the match. The second hack targeted Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen of TSM, equipping him with an aimbot and leading to the match being abandoned.
The Anti-Cheat Police Department revealed that the RCE vulnerability was being used to inject cheats into streamers’ machines, possibly resulting in ransomware being installed. While Easy Anti-Cheat stated that there was no vulnerability in their software, they suggested that the issue may be within the Source engine, which Apex Legends is built on.
This incident has raised concerns about the security of playing Apex Legends and the potential risks involved. Respawn, the game’s developer, has yet to comment on the hack or provide a timeline for when the North American finals will resume.
It is crucial to identify the source of the vulnerability to prevent similar attacks in other games that use Easy Anti-Cheat, including popular titles like Fortnite, War Thunder, and Elden Ring. Players and organizers are eagerly awaiting updates on the situation as the esports community grapples with the implications of this high-profile hack.
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