An exploit discovered by a group of white hat hackers in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has had players looking to Valve for answers. The group, known as The Secret Club, has said that Valve has known about the issue for months, and thus far, has neither commented on it nor fixed it.
The exploit lets a hacker steal a user's information by utilizing a flaw found in all Source engine games, including Counter Strike: Global Offensive. The hack is implemented in Steam's invite system and allows the hacker to obtain information from possibly anyone on the platform if they accept said invite. This hack can also be implemented as part of a larger community invite, and multiple accounts can be hacked in the process.
The Secret Club has claimed that it informed Valve on this issue 5 months ago, with no response or movement on Valve's part. The group continues to tweet out instances of this occurring to showcase that the bug has not been fixed. The latest tweets came yesterday, as the exploit hasn't been remedied.
The group claims that Valve has tried to prevent it from disclosing the exploit, however, has not demonstrated how. Other people responding to the tweets have mentioned how they've brought bugs to their attention, and that they'll just sit there for years on end. Valve has not commented on the exploit and has not acknowledged the claims of silencing The Secret Club.
Exploits like this have a real effect on the community and player base. The mention of an exploit that can steal a user's information, as well as allow the hacker to assume control of the target's computer, can have rippling effects. During the pandemic, CSGO has seen a rise in its player base, averaging around 740,000 players at any given time for the past 4 months.
It would be interesting to see if this exploit would affect other games developed on this platform. DOTA 2 was originally developed on the Source engine but was upgraded to the Source 2 engine in 2015.
This isn't the first time an exploit has been reported in CSGO, but it is odd that such a serious claim has not been addressed or fixed. White hat, or ethical, hackers earn a living finding these exploits and bringing them to the publisher's attention. Valve might be working on a larger repair surrounding the exploit, but at the moment, players would be wise to check who is inviting them to a game of CSGO.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is available now on Mac, PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.