GTA V hackers find a new way to harass people... In single player.

[Spotty]

Source: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/10/22/grand-theft-auto-v-hackers-killed-people-in-singleplayer/

Source: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/7x339d/gta-online-hack-let-trolls-kill-gamers-in-single-player-mode

 

It's no secret that Rockstar has an issue with hackers in GTA V. It has been known for a long time that hackers/modders and GTA: Online go hand in hand. It's very rare to be able to play an Online game in a public lobby without encountering a hacker... However, it appears that the hackers have found a new target: Players in Single Player campaigns.

Quote

 

For about 48 hours this week, the cheater's paradise seemed to turn into outright hell for everyone else when game update 1.45 (which consisted entirely of "General fixes for stability and security") unintentionally allowed cheaters to harass other people, even when those players were in single-player modes.

 

One of the first examples we saw came from Twitch streamer SnowieLive, who had a cheater interrupt his stream by kicking him out of his session, claiming to be an administrator with GTA: Online's developer, Rockstar Games. When SnowieLive restarted in singleplayer mode, he started dropping dead the instant the game started. While SnowieLive continued to drop dead for no reason, the troll sent him an in-game chat message—which, again, should be impossible outside of multiplayer modes—taunting, "Ur not safe in singleplayer." Later in the stream, the modder wiped out the bank accounts for SnowieLive's single-player campaign save.

 

...

We're not sure specifically what changed in update 1.45, and Rockstar didn't immediately return a request for comment, but it looks like the October 16 update allowed mod menu users to target their exploits using unique ID codes from the Rockstar Social Club. Once they had a player's ID number, they could use those same server-mod-style exploits against anyone as long as they were logged in. Though Rockstar requires a Social Club login for everyone who owns Grand Theft Auto and the game defaults to staying online at all times, it's possible to go offline to play the single-player story mode. People who want to play with friends, however, will always have to be online. This gives cheaters the power to harass until they decide to turn off the game and go do something else.
_{https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/7x339d/gta-online-hack-let-trolls-kill-gamers-in-single-player-mode}

 

Quote

Reports from other players, including well-regarded Twitter person “Tex2”, say that PC hacks recently added a feature letting hackers discover a player’s Rockstar Social Club ID. This then let them screw with people’s GTA V any time they were playing while online and connected to Rockstar’s account doodad – even if they were just playing the singleplayer campaign. The hackers wouldn’t personally appear in your singleplayer game but could fire commands down your pipes to mess with you.
_{https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/10/22/grand-theft-auto-v-hackers-killed-people-in-singleplayer/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rockpapershotgun%2Fsteam+(Rock%2C+Paper%2C+Shotgun%3A+Steam+RSS)}

 

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/323338087?t=00h46m05s
Here is a twitch video (46 minute mark) of a streamer being targeted by a hacker in multiplayer, who then switched over to a single player campaign and continued to be killed by the hacker. You can see that the streamer is constantly killed in single player mode and receives a message from the hacker warning him that he is no longer safe in single player mode.

 

 

According to comments on twitter/reddit, Rockstar has already fixed the issue, but there has yet to be an official response from Rockstar about the issue.

Quote

As of this morning, players on Twitter and Reddit are reporting that the exploit has been fixed, though it's not clear how; Rockstar hasn't announced any new updates on its support record.

_{https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/7x339d/gta-online-hack-let-trolls-kill-gamers-in-single-player-mode}

My Thoughts:
Ohhh boy. Rockstar just aren't having any luck with cheaters are they. Just last week Take-Two obtained a search warrant to search the address of suspected hack developers in Australia, and now there's an exploit available that allows hackers to infiltrate single player mode. Rockstar really needs to develop better means of identifying and banning people using hacks and cheats, because stuff like this completely ruins the game for players.

If you watch the video you will see the typical sort of thing that players have to put up with in GTA:Online, where a hacker can just instantly kill any player in the server, and as soon as the player respawns they are instantly killed again - effectively leaving the player completely helpless and with no option but to Alt+F4 out. One of the biggest problems is you can only access the menu when you are alive, meaning that if you are instantly killed each time you spawn, you are unable to open the menu to report the hacker.

 

Rockstar needs to get their shit together and sort out their hacking problem before Red Dead Redemption 2 is released.

 

Semi-Related Article:

 

[CTR640]

This shit happens when Take2/R* is fucking greedy to invest in a better anti-cheat system! Now R* won't do jack and all they do is doubling 2x in crapversary mode like Dogfights and other bullshit. Hopefully T2/R* WILL sue those cancerous mod menu makers and ban them.

And also a good idea: first offence results in permanent ban.

[Shally]

I mean financially it could make sense. 

Produce a bad anti cheat, which costs less, wait for hackers and sue them to earn more. /s

What a world we live in ahah

[CTR640]

11 minutes ago, KendoSapion said:

I mean financially it could make sense. 

Produce a bad anti cheat, which costs less, wait for hackers and sue them to earn more. /s

What a world we live in ahah

But how can they earn more money if they sue them? I mean, it's not like the scumbags that make mod menu's are rich lol.

 

I know I know, you placed /s

But this is logical: sketchy cheaters are in to buy more GTA accounts, so more money. So after each time they get banned, they just go find or buy accounts.

[Shally]

1 minute ago, CTR640 said:

But how can they earn more money if they sue them? I mean, it's not like the scumbags that make mod menu's are rich lol.

I would imagine they'd be aiming for the creator of the hacks, the big guys who sell them at high prices. I'd say they would make a killing off selling them. 

[Spotty]

Just now, KendoSapion said:

I would imagine they'd be aiming for the creator of the hacks, the big guys who sell them at high prices. I'd say they would make a killing off selling them. 

Take Two, Rockstars parent company, petitioned for and obtained search warrants on the addresses of some hack developers recently.
 

 

Though, I think any money they would make from suing hack developers is a drop in the ocean compared to the amount of money they lose in things like Shark Card sales due to either people just hacking in-game items and currency (instead of using Shark Cards to purchase it), or less people playing the game due to the prevalence of hackers in online.

[Shally]

1 minute ago, Spotty said:

-snip-

True. It drives away players, including myself from playing. 

[D13H4RD]

Inb4 they ban single player mods again 

[Syntaxvgm]

34 minutes ago, CTR640 said:

This shit happens when Take2/R* is fucking greedy to invest in a better anti-cheat system! Now R* won't do jack and all they do is doubling 2x in crapversary mode like Dogfights and other bullshit. Hopefully T2/R* WILL sue those cancerous mod menu makers and ban them.

And also a good idea: first offence results in permanent ban.

I think they're doing all they can.

[orbitalbuzzsaw]

mmmmmkay then reasons I'll never play GTA #21,451

[crosstiger]

"Always Online" what a great invention...

[suicidalfranco]

take Two/R* right now:

1) Fix the game and patch the hole that allows this exploit

2) Sue the "hacker"

[Misanthrope]

PSA: Make the game less enjoyable but at least playable on PC Online by blocking ports. You might get put into a lobby with 1 to 5 other people or so but then you can use the resource monitor (Opened via task manager) to suspend the process for about 10 seconds then resume and it will leave you on a solo lobby with almost 0 chance of any randoms joining in.

 

This way you can use the best money making methods by yourself without having to worry about anything (other than the godly accuracy of NPCs but it's not too bad to avoid that) 

Or you could just not make the mistake of investing any fucking time in this online turd and save yourself a lot of grief, let's call that plan B.

[Spotty]

2 minutes ago, Misanthrope said:

PSA: Make the game less enjoyable but at least playable on PC Online by blocking ports. You might get put into a lobby with 1 to 5 other people or so but then you can use the resource monitor (Opened via task manager) to suspend the process for about 10 seconds then resume and it will leave you on a solo lobby with almost 0 chance of any randoms joining in.

 

This way you can use the best money making methods by yourself without having to worry about anything (other than the godly accuracy of NPCs but it's not too bad to avoid that) 

Except, as far as I understand it, with this exploit that still might not protect you...

Doing that trick just times you out of the lobby and you get put in to a new lobby by yourself. 

 

The hackers use your RGSC id to send the commands - regardless of if you're in a server with others, server by yourself, a private/friends only server, or even in single player mode. As long as you're connected to RGSC (which logs in when you launch the game) you are vulnerable to attack.

[mxk]

good thing my system can't run gta v lol. Pretty sad that rockstar has let this pass through, this game was made in 2012 so 6 years, right? Damn they can't get a good anti-cheat with an older game thats silly.

[Misanthrope]

12 minutes ago, Spotty said:

Except, as far as I understand it, with this exploit that still might not protect you...

Doing that trick just times you out of the lobby and you get put in to a new lobby by yourself. 

 

The hackers use your RGSC id to send the commands - regardless of if you're in a server with others, server by yourself, a private/friends only server, or even in single player mode. As long as you're connected to RGSC (which logs in when you launch the game) you are vulnerable to attack.

The hackers would need to know who you are to begin with and chances are they will not realize: if you are unfortunate enough to be put on a lobby with a hacker you can still immediately suspend and quit it before they even realize you are there. 

 

I would suggest leaving questionable crews like the infamous IGN or MP3 since they're full of hackers but if your crew is reliable and you get rid of questionable people on your friends list nobody you don't want to will even know you're online and playing. Once you made your important sales and such you can jump back in the crowd but without risking hackers targeting you.

 

Basically you have to turn this game into a single player even while online which is regrettable but there is no other way to fully dodge them otherwise. It's why I suggest people follow my plan B if they don't play this game: just don't fucking start play something else.

[Spotty]

14 minutes ago, Misanthrope said:

The hackers would need to know who you are to begin with and chances are they will not realize: if you are unfortunate enough to be put on a lobby with a hacker you can still immediately suspend and quit it before they even realize you are there. 

Yeah, according to the articles they need the RGSC user id. I guess that's why so many GTA V twitch streamers were affected by this since they'd likely be showing their username on screen as they play and perform actions.

[poochyena]

I really really really wish GTA V single player and online were sold separately and require a different launcher. I have no interest in online and annoyed that updates break my mods.

[Misanthrope]

2 hours ago, Spotty said:

Yeah, according to the articles they need the RGSC user id. I guess that's why so many GTA V twitch streamers were affected by this since they'd likely be showing their username on screen as they play and perform actions.

Oh yeah, that happens. Back in August with the new DLC Rockstar decided to push some streamers (In Facebook though) on their official site and were giving away money to viewers so there were a lot of people watching and well it was pretty damn representative of the average GTA Online PC experience: most streamers not used to GTA Online got really crappy and weak vehicles, got trolled non-stop and hackers were broadcasted on an official Rockstar streaming for the entire world to see how fucking infested of hackers the game is flying by on unreleased planes and vehicles, etc.

 

Eventually they literally had to get Rockstar employees to join the streams so the streamers could actually complete the DLC mission because of the overwhelming griefing and hacking going on.

[Misanthrope]

1 hour ago, poochyena said:

I really really really wish GTA V single player and online were sold separately and require a different launcher. I have no interest in online and annoyed that updates break my mods.

Not only that but if had they separated the clients from the get go, then the modding tools wouldn't necessarily also work on the online client but hey, Rockstar was not going to spend any fucking money at all on the PC version so they basically made a very incompetent port of features that work on consoles but never work on PC and the main 2 issues that make the game on PC un-patcheable for online is the fact that it shares client with single player and that it is peer 2 peer.

[corsairian]

9 hours ago, CTR640 said:

This shit happens when Take2/R* is fucking greedy to invest in a better anti-cheat system! Now R* won't do jack and all they do is doubling 2x in crapversary mode like Dogfights and other bullshit. Hopefully T2/R* WILL sue those cancerous mod menu makers and ban them.

And also a good idea: first offence results in permanent ban.

The permanent ban thing can be a bad idea. I've heard of people being banned online because a hacker happens to give you money. When a hacker gives you money you LITERALLY cant do anything to not accept the money. Only thing you can do is leave the game.

 

I'm all for perma bans,  but not when innocent people get banned for modders giving them money.

[Arika]

hope R* isn't planning to use the same platform for RDR2

[Kamina]

There should be an offline mode.

[CTR640]

3 hours ago, corsairian said:

The permanent ban thing can be a bad idea. I've heard of people being banned online because a hacker happens to give you money. When a hacker gives you money you LITERALLY cant do anything to not accept the money. Only thing you can do is leave the game.

 

I'm all for perma bans,  but not when innocent people get banned for modders giving them money.

The banning players because they received money from cheaters is outrageous bullshit and only R* is responsible for that.

And detecting mod menu's should be easy, I seriously don't understand wtf R* is doing but this is extremely lazy job.

[Jito463]

10 hours ago, crosstiger said:

"Always Online" what a great invention...

There's a reason I intentionally stay away from 'always online' games.  I especially dislike games which attempt to blur the two, such as Watch Dogs 2 (at least that allows you to disable the online functionality, though).