The recent Apex Legends Global Series North American finals were intended to be a showcase of skill, strategy, and competitive fervor. Instead, they became the stage for one of the most jarring events in eSports history — live hacking incidents that forced the series to a grinding halt.
Competitors Noyan “Genburten” Ozkose of DarkZero and Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen of TSM found themselves unexpectedly equipped with cheats during the competition. Genburten encountered a wallhack allowing him to see opponents through barriers, while ImperialHal was bestowed with an aimbot, facilitating automatic target acquisition. These hacks transpired live, much to the shock and dismay of participants and viewers alike.
The gravity of the situation was promptly acknowledged by the tournament organizers. “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,” announced the official Apex Legends Esports account. This decision underscores the seriousness with which the integrity of the competition is guarded and the commitment to fairness within the eSports domain.
The incident quickly spiraled beyond the immediate shock and disruption of the finals. Reports emerged that the hacking could be attributed to a RCE (Remote Code Execution) exploit, potentially impacting a broader player base and not just the tournament’s competitors. The Anti-Cheat Police Department raised alarms about the scope of the breach, advising all players to change their Discord passwords, secure their email accounts, and enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
Furthermore, they sternly suggested a “clean OS reinstall as soon as possible” for the participants, hinting at the severity of the risk posed by the hackers. The advice came after volunteers issued a PSA regarding the exploit, indicating it may have disseminated through Apex Legends or its anti-cheat software, urging caution towards playing any games protected by EAC or any EA titles until the issue was resolved.
Relevant articles:
– Apex Legends streamers warned to ‘perform a clean OS reinstall as soon as possible’ after hacks during NA Finals match | The hack may have been spread through Apex’s anti-cheat software.
– “Craziest thing I’ve seen happen in eSports”: Apex Legends Pro Genburten’s Account Gets Hacked Mid-ALGS Match, Causing the Postponement of the Whole Tournament, FandomWire, Mon, 18 Mar 2024 14:17:01 GMT
– ‘Apex Legends’ NA Finals Postponed Amidst Major Hacking Incident, The Cyber Express, Mon, 18 Mar 2024 11:35:43 GMT
– Apex Legends Global Series Finals Hacked And Postponed, Insider Gaming, Mon, 18 Mar 2024 12:32:51 GMT