Several hackers responsible for developing programs that impacted PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and stole users’ personal information have been arrested.
A PUBG announcement that was shared through the game’s Steam page yesterday confirmed that several people responsible for these hacking programs were apprehended just days ago. According to the post, these 15 suspects were arrested for not only unlawfully affecting PUBG with the programs but also for using Trojan horse software.
“Earlier this month, on April 25th, 15 suspects were arrested for developing and selling hacking/cheating programs that affect PUBG,” the announcement said. “It was confirmed that malicious code, including Trojan horse software, was included in some of these programs and was used to steal user information.
The PUBG team has also been working with local authorities while pursuing the legal situation and provided some translated information from those officials that includes a sizeable fine the suspects are facing.
“15 major suspects including “OMG”, “FL”, “火狐”, “须弥” and “炎黄” were arrested for developing hack programs, hosting marketplaces for hack programs, and brokering transactions. Currentlythe suspects have been fined approximately 30mil RNB ($5.1mil USD). Other suspects related to this case are still being investigated.
“Some hack programs that are being distributed through the internet includes a Huigezi Trojan horse*(Chinese backdoor) virus. It was proven that hack developers used this virus to control users’ PC, scan their data, and extract information illegally.”
It’s a hefty fine to levy against those who hack video games, but if you ask any dedicated PUBG player, you’ll probably find some saying that this punishment isn’t severe enough. PUBG has had a longstanding problem with hackers affecting the game and has banned millions of playersthrough use of anti-cheat services with many more still to come. After reaffirming that cheating in PUBG is taken “extremely seriously,” the announcement reminded players that developing and distributing hacking and cheating programs is against the law and many players and indicated that these efforts between PUBG Corp. and the proper authorities will continue.
