15 PUBG cheat sellers have been arrested in China
It looks like fifteen people have been arrested on suspicion of creating and selling cheats for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. PUBG Corp has been ramping up its efforts to combat in-game cheaters over the last few months, with massive ban waves sweeping across the game periodically. Now, things are being taken a step further.
We’ve seen various studios go after cheat creators in the past. Blizzard has previously sued cheat makers, as has Riot Games. Bluehole’s approach is a little different though, as it involves criminal charges. Bluehole announced the arrests in a Steam post over the weekend, explaining that when combined, the fifteen cheat sellers involved made over $5 million.
So far, most of the suspects appear to be from China, and were arrested for hosting cheat marketplaces, brokering transactions and developing cheats.
One of the issues with the cheats was the fact that they contained Trojans and other malicious code in order to steal user information. So far, no sentencing has taken place, but we’ll keep an eye out for more updates.
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An Update on Our Anti-Cheat Efforts, 27 APRIL
Hi everyone,
As you all now know, we’ve been doing everything possible to root out cheating from PUBG. The ultimate goal is to create an environment for players that’s completely safe from hackers and cheaters.
We take cheating extremely seriously. Developing, selling, promoting, or using unauthorized hacking/cheating programs isn’t just unfair for others playing PUBG-in many places, it’s also against the law.
We’ve upgraded our security measures, improved our anti-cheat solutions, and recently even added a new anti-cheat solution on top of all that. In the meantime, we’ve also been continuously gathering information on hack developers (and sellers) and have been working extensively with multiple partners and judicial authorities to bring these people to justice.
Earlier this month, on April 25th, 15 suspects were arrested for developing and selling hacking/cheating programs that affect PUBG. It was confirmed that malicious code, including Trojan horse software, was included in some of these programs and was used to steal user information.
Here’s some translated information from the local authorities we worked with on this case:
"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. Currently the 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.”
The longstanding rumor that hacking/cheating programs extract information from users’ PCs has been confirmed to be true. Using illegal programs not only disrupts others, but can end up with you handing over your personal information.
We’ll continue to crack down on hacking/cheating programs (and their creators) until our players are free to battle it out in a totally fair environment.
Thanks for playing,
PUBG Corp.
©
Chinese police have arrested 15 people suspected of creating cheat programs for the popular Player Unknown Battleground (PUBG) game.
The cheats helped people survive longer, aim more accurately and spot foes in the competitive shooting game.
The 15 suspects have also been fined about 30m yuan (£3.45m) for profiting from the cheats.
Chinese police are expected to make more arrests as they break up the gang that made and sold the programs.
News about the arrests was posted to the PUBG forum pages on the Steam game network by Ryan Rigney, a spokesman for the PUBG Corporation that makes the game.
In that post, Mr Rigney said the action against the gang was part of the company's efforts to tackle cheating.
Mr Rigney said "major suspects" were arrested during the raid. They have been charged with developing, hosting and selling the hacking programs,
Some local Chinese newspapers suggest the gang made more than 30m yuan from selling a variety of cheating programs. PUBG is hugely popular in China and almost half of its players live there.
In some cases, said Mr Rigney, the cheat programs also contained malicious code that scanned users' PCs looking for login names, passwords and other confidential data.
"Using illegal programs not only disrupts others, but can end up with you handing over your personal information," he said.
More people linked to the gang are still being investigated, he said, adding that PUBG had recently updated its game to help spot when cheating software was being used.
"The ultimate goal is to create an environment for players that's completely safe from hackers and cheaters," he wrote.
In early 2018, a joint operation between Chinese police and tech firm Tencent, which promotes PUBG in the country, led to the arrest of 120 people suspected of making cheats.
©
We’ve seen various studios go after cheat creators in the past. Blizzard has previously sued cheat makers, as has Riot Games. Bluehole’s approach is a little different though, as it involves criminal charges. Bluehole announced the arrests in a Steam post over the weekend, explaining that when combined, the fifteen cheat sellers involved made over $5 million.
So far, most of the suspects appear to be from China, and were arrested for hosting cheat marketplaces, brokering transactions and developing cheats.
One of the issues with the cheats was the fact that they contained Trojans and other malicious code in order to steal user information. So far, no sentencing has taken place, but we’ll keep an eye out for more updates.
©
An Update on Our Anti-Cheat Efforts, 27 APRIL
Hi everyone,
As you all now know, we’ve been doing everything possible to root out cheating from PUBG. The ultimate goal is to create an environment for players that’s completely safe from hackers and cheaters.
We take cheating extremely seriously. Developing, selling, promoting, or using unauthorized hacking/cheating programs isn’t just unfair for others playing PUBG-in many places, it’s also against the law.
We’ve upgraded our security measures, improved our anti-cheat solutions, and recently even added a new anti-cheat solution on top of all that. In the meantime, we’ve also been continuously gathering information on hack developers (and sellers) and have been working extensively with multiple partners and judicial authorities to bring these people to justice.
Earlier this month, on April 25th, 15 suspects were arrested for developing and selling hacking/cheating programs that affect PUBG. It was confirmed that malicious code, including Trojan horse software, was included in some of these programs and was used to steal user information.
Here’s some translated information from the local authorities we worked with on this case:
"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. Currently the 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.”
The longstanding rumor that hacking/cheating programs extract information from users’ PCs has been confirmed to be true. Using illegal programs not only disrupts others, but can end up with you handing over your personal information.
We’ll continue to crack down on hacking/cheating programs (and their creators) until our players are free to battle it out in a totally fair environment.
Thanks for playing,
PUBG Corp.
©
Chinese police have arrested 15 people suspected of creating cheat programs for the popular Player Unknown Battleground (PUBG) game.
The cheats helped people survive longer, aim more accurately and spot foes in the competitive shooting game.
The 15 suspects have also been fined about 30m yuan (£3.45m) for profiting from the cheats.
Chinese police are expected to make more arrests as they break up the gang that made and sold the programs.
News about the arrests was posted to the PUBG forum pages on the Steam game network by Ryan Rigney, a spokesman for the PUBG Corporation that makes the game.
In that post, Mr Rigney said the action against the gang was part of the company's efforts to tackle cheating.
Mr Rigney said "major suspects" were arrested during the raid. They have been charged with developing, hosting and selling the hacking programs,
Some local Chinese newspapers suggest the gang made more than 30m yuan from selling a variety of cheating programs. PUBG is hugely popular in China and almost half of its players live there.
In some cases, said Mr Rigney, the cheat programs also contained malicious code that scanned users' PCs looking for login names, passwords and other confidential data.
"Using illegal programs not only disrupts others, but can end up with you handing over your personal information," he said.
More people linked to the gang are still being investigated, he said, adding that PUBG had recently updated its game to help spot when cheating software was being used.
"The ultimate goal is to create an environment for players that's completely safe from hackers and cheaters," he wrote.
In early 2018, a joint operation between Chinese police and tech firm Tencent, which promotes PUBG in the country, led to the arrest of 120 people suspected of making cheats.
©