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Apex Legends Global Series postponed due to mid-match hacks

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Update 10:09 UTC, 19/03/24 — the official EOS Status account on X posted this:

We have investigated recent reports of a potential RCE issue in Apex Legends, which we have confirmed to be unrelated to Easy Anti-Cheat. We are confident THERE IS NO RCE vulnerability within EAC being exploited.

Update 16:28 UTC, 18/03/24 — Easy Anti-Cheat release a statement on X:

We have investigated recent reports of a potential RCE issue within Easy Anti-Cheat. At this time - we are confident that there is no RCE vulnerability within EAC being exploited. We will continue to work closely with our partners for any follow up support needed

So it's likely then that the issue is within Apex Legends directly. Will update when we have more info.


Original article below:

Good Morning. Some interesting industry news for you here, as it seems Apex Legends has something of a hacker problem right now that has even messed up the Global Series esport tournament.

Announced by the official Apex Legends Esports account on X they said:

Due to the competitive integrity of this series being compromised, we have made the decision to postpone the NA finals at this time. We will share more information soon.

There's a few videos going around (#1, #2)  showing mid-match cheats suddenly happening to pro players during the tournament. According to the Anti-Cheat Police Department account on X (a volunteer group):

PSA: There is currently an RCE exploit being abused in @PlayApex. It is unsure whether it comes from the game or the actual anti-cheat (@TeddyEAC). I would advise against playing any games protected by EAC or any EA titles once they have fixed this or can comment. Currently, the RCE is being abused to inject cheats into streamers machines, which means they have the capabilities to do whatever, like installing ransomware software locking up your entire PC.

Even though Linux is quite different to Windows, it's probably still best to avoid Apex Legends until the issue is resolved. While a lot of cheats and most malware / ransomware is designed for Windows - it still pays to be careful.

At time of writing neither EA nor Respawn have put up a statement on it.

This could end up being a problem for Linux and Steam Deck players too. Currently Apex Legends uses Easy Anti-Cheat, which clearly isn't defending against these attacks. We've seen other EA published titles move over to EA AntiCheat, which blocks Linux, so hopefully EAC will combat it and we don't get left with another broken game that moves over to EA's own tech for it.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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23 comments
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scaine Mar 19
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I'll never forget Sweeney basically saying that they didn't trust their own technology to stop cheaters. I really don't trust their ability to rule out EAC as the source of this vulnerability.
hell0 Mar 19
Quoting: scaineGod I hate Microsoft products so much. My entire professional life has been cursed to limit their awfulness.

Quoting: tuubiI'm not going to debate this any further, simply because this is too close to stuff I have to worry about at work. Windows is bleak enough to think about even when I'm being paid for it.

Quite ironic how you guys seem to work with Windows way more than I do and loath it. Meanwhile I've been working exclusively with Linux for the past 8 years-ish and have a lot of beef to pick with its permission management. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side. I'll admit my initial statement is probably exaggerated in retrospect and should be read more along the line of "Windows also has had permission management comparable to what's found on Linux for a long time".


QuoteWe are confident THERE IS NO RCE vulnerability within EAC being exploited.

But are there RCE vulnerabilities not being exploited? The "being exploited" might be PR speech but it is also really convenient.
tuubi Mar 19
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Quoting: hell0
Quoting: scaineGod I hate Microsoft products so much. My entire professional life has been cursed to limit their awfulness.

Quoting: tuubiI'm not going to debate this any further, simply because this is too close to stuff I have to worry about at work. Windows is bleak enough to think about even when I'm being paid for it.

Quite ironic how you guys seem to work with Windows way more than I do and loath it. Meanwhile I've been working exclusively with Linux for the past 8 years-ish and have a lot of beef to pick with its permission management. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side. I'll admit my initial statement is probably exaggerated in retrospect and should be read more along the line of "Windows also has had permission management comparable to what's found on Linux for a long time".

You got that wrong, actually. At least in my case. Personally I'm a lot more familiar with the Linux side, seeing as I've been using Linux for more than two decades now, for work and everything else. I do have to worry about this sort of stuff professionally (at the policy level), but I rely on research and the input of coworkers with Windows expertise when I need to. I've never been one to hide my biases, but my request for clarification was in good faith.

Anyway, your new phrasing is more palatable.
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