In the aftermath of the Apex Legends hacking incident that marred the ALGS North American Finals, fresh insights have emerged, shedding light on the nature of the cyberattack that rattled the event and the esports community at large.
During the event livestream, two esports players, Genburton representing team DarkZero and ImperialHal from Team SoloMid (TSM) inadvertently faced a game hack mid-tournament. What seemed like an in-game hack has now turned into a server associated with malicious behavior, suggesting a Trojan virus as the likely point of entry for the hacker.
In a YouTube video, PirateSoftware and ThePrimeagen shared insights into the hack, stating “This doesn’t mean there is RCE in Apex. It means this guy’s computer is compromised at the very minimum. Nothing else needs to be involved in that ”, indicating that the previous assumptions about an RCE bug in Apex Legends might be false.
Apex Legends Hacking Incident Update
ImperialHal, a popular Twitch streamer who fell victim to the hack, engaged in a conversation with “PirateSoftware,” a seasoned cybersecurity expert. During their discussion, ImperialHal disclosed installing Malwarebytes post-incident, which detected suspicious activity linked to an inbound connection to his PC during the hack.
After analysis, PirateSoftware discovered an IP address linked to ImperialHal’s PC during the hack. Further probing revealed its association with a server known for malicious activities. The expert inferred that the hacker, Destroyer2009, likely gained direct access to ImperialHal’s PC via Trojan virus
This finding suggests a lower probability of the attack originating from a remote code execution through the game’s client, alleviating new concerns around the esports community. However, these conclusions are yet to be officially confirmed. Moreover, during the conversation between PirateSoftware and ThePrimeagen, it was revealed that the hack happened to multiple players and was not an isolated event.
What Happened During the Apex Legends Hacking Incident?
The Apex Legends hacking incident unfolded during the ALGS North American Finals, abruptly halting the competition as aimbots and wallhacks infiltrated the gameplay, compromising the experience for prominent players.
This disruption prompted Apex Legends Esports to postpone the finals, citing concerns about competitive integrity.
The Cyber Express previously reported about the Apex Legends hacking incident wherein video evidence captured a sudden appearance of cheat indicators, including Aimbot, granting Burton unfair advantages such as enemy location and health status.
The presence of the hacker, identified as Destroyer 2009, was revealed through the accompanying chat box, indicating previous disruptions in tournaments. Notably, Destroyer 2009 had orchestrated similar incidents in the past, targeting players like ImperialHal with lobby bots during ranked gameplay.
The specifics of the hack, including features like compensation, target lock, and auto-fire, highlight the severity of the breach, raising concerns about the game’s security measures. The intrusion, seemingly executed client-side within private lobbies, exposes vulnerabilities that threaten the integrity of competitive gaming.
However, it’s crucial to note that these findings are specific to ImperialHal’s case, and the situation surrounding Gen Burton’s targeting remains fluid. The Cyber Express will be closely monitoring the situation and we’ll update this post once we have more details about the Apex Legends cyberattack or any further information from Apex Legends.
Media Disclaimer: This report is based on internal and external research obtained through various means. The information provided is for reference purposes only, and users bear full responsibility for their reliance on it. The Cyber Express assumes no liability for the accuracy or consequences of using this information.
