Hackers successfully shut down a live Apex Legends tournament mid-game after a string of attacks.
According to a report by Eurogamer, multiple players began reporting that their client had active cheats on it. These players had an active aimbot, the ability to see through walls, and outlines for enemy bodies. One might suspect that it was an individual or their group trying to cheat in a tournament to win, but multiple people across different teams began reporting the behavior.
It seemed that a hacker had breached their systems and installed cheating software that they controlled remotely to get certain players and teams banned. Many online are pointing to the game’s anti-cheat engine, Easy Anti-Cheat, which has a notorious online reputation for being easily hackable. However, the company was quick to defend itself publicly.
“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,” Easy Anti-Cheat reported.
Other users argue that someone running the tournament must have accidentally downloaded malware, and it spread through the network. One X user joked that it’s possible that multiple teams intended to cheat and this was a happy coincidence.
In response to the attack, organizers immediately halted the competition and began an investigation.
“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,” they posted on X.
At this time, there are still very few public details.
Since the nature of the attack is unknown, it’s highly advised for anyone who visited or live-streamed the event to rotate their passwords on Discord, Twitter, and Apex Legends. They should be on the lookout for phishing scams through social media or your email.