Pro players in the Apex Legends North American finals were suddenly given cheats by hackers mid-game, prompting the esports competition to be postponed until further notice. It’s unclear whether this will impact future scheduling.
“Due to the competitive integrity of this series being compromised, we have made the decision to postpone the NA finals at this time,” reads a post on the official Apex Legends Esports X account. More information is expected to be released soon.
Players were given the cheats without warning, and clips of the hacks have begun appearing on social media. DZ_Genburten, a well-known pro player, is seen playing in the clip below when, out of nowhere, his chat begins saying “Apex hacking global series by Destroyer2009 & R4ndom.”
While it’s not certain how hackers accessed the player’s lobby, many believe they utilized an RCE exploit.
“I would advise against playing any games protected by EAC or any EA titles once they have fixed this or can comment,” reads the Anti-Cheat Police Department account on X. “Currently, the RCE is being abused to inject cheats into streamers’ machines, which means they have the capabilities to do whatever, like installing ransomware software locking up your entire PC.”
Those who participated in the tournament have been advised to change their Discord passwords and reinstall their operating systems to remove any malware.
Apex Legends is available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. With the exception of mobile platforms, the game offers cross-platform play.
