A hacker, known by the alias Destroyer2009, recently declared the end of a significant exploit in the popular battle royale game Apex Legends, which had caused considerable disruption during an esports tournament last month.
The hacking incident involved the manipulation of game data to make it appear as if two high-profile streamers were cheating during the competition. This revelation comes after the game’s developer, Respawn Entertainment, implemented a series of security patches which the hacker has confirmed fixed the exploited vulnerability.
The hacking incident unfolded in real-time during a live broadcast of an Apex Legends Global Series event. Destroyer2009 targeted streamers ImperialHal and Genburten, making it appear that they were engaging in cheating behaviors. This caused immediate concern among the event’s organizers, leading to the suspension of the tournament on March 17 to address and investigate the breach.
Following the discovery of the exploit, Respawn Entertainment took proactive measures to safeguard the game environment, as detailed in their communications:
- First Update: Announced on March 19, this update was described as “the first of a layered series of updates to protect the Apex Legends player community.”
- Second Update: Followed on March 26, aimed to “further protect our players and ensure the competitive integrity of Apex Legends.”
Hacker Tests and Verifies Security Enhancements
Despite these updates, Respawn has not directly stated that the changes were specifically aimed at patching the bug exploited in the tournament hacks.
However, Destroyer2009 has independently confirmed to TechCrunch that the vulnerabilities he exploited have been successfully mitigated by these patches. In a recent interview, he disclosed that he had tested the exploit following the March 26 update and determined that it was no longer effective, indicating that the patch could have been implemented earlier than his test.
The hacker, who has previously admitted to hacking the streamers “for fun,” expressed a reluctance to reveal the technical details of the exploit. He cited concerns over publicly exposing severe vulnerabilities that could potentially embarrass Respawn further.
This sentiment comes in the wake of another unrelated but problematic update from Respawn that had negatively impacted the game earlier in the week. Destroyer2009 mentioned that embarrassing the company further “isn’t fair,” reflecting a certain level of discretion despite the earlier disruptive actions.
ImperialHal and Genburten, the streamers affected by the hack, are prominent figures in the Apex Legends community, with a combined following of 2.5 million on Twitch. The incident sparked considerable commentary among other players and streamers.
Despite the closure of this particular hacking episode, Destroyer2009 hinted at a potential withdrawal from public hacking activities, considering the severity and possible legal repercussions of further exploits. He suggested that he might continue playing the game normally until it “gets boring as usual,” indicating an end to his public hacking endeavors.
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Featured Image courtesy of EA