On March 18, 2024, the Apex Legends Global Series North America finals were interrupted by a massive hacking attack that affected a lot of participants.
What happened?
Professional players witnessed weird things during the match. Some started to see opposite team members’ positions through the game textures.
Another player noticed that he was shooting at two targets simultaneously.
Total confusion, until the AL Anti-Cheat Department released a statement:
The situation turned out to be way worse. Hackers could take control of players’ computers or continue to distribute malicious software.
Why did Apex Legends hacking happen and what is the lesson?
EA uses dedicated servers to provide the best connection experience for Apex Legends players. But it seems that the company can’t handle attacks properly. Public servers are always a target for hackers, especially when we talk about competitive games.
There must be more thoughtful privacy measures for such a popular game in which a lot of people are building their careers.
Some examples of stronger protection measures for dedicated servers:
- constant monitoring of connections to the server;
- regular scanning for malicious software distribution;
- protection against DDoS attacks;
- secured databases with restricted access to them;
- investing in professional security teams that can detect threats and take measures quickly.
Big businesses must respect their customers’ loyalty and provide the best conditions for collaboration. A secure environment will always lead to a good reputation and respect.