{"id":92249,"date":"2018-10-24T12:13:48","date_gmt":"2018-10-24T19:13:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/?p=92249"},"modified":"2025-08-30T02:58:48","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T09:58:48","slug":"grand-theft-auto-v-bug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/grand-theft-auto-v-bug\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cGrand Theft Auto V\u201d Hack: How to Defeat the Online Gaming Bug"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the past two decades, we\u2019ve seen a huge rise in the popularity of online gaming<\/a> among both children and adults. One particular game that has experienced huge success is \u201cGrand Theft Auto,\u201d or GTA, which has been developed and produced by Rockstar Games. The most recent edition of the game, \u201cGrand Theft Auto V,\u201d hit $6 billion in sales as of April 2018, creating a record-breaking impact<\/a> in the gaming industry. However, the game\u2019s massive success doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s immune to cyberattacks. A recent vulnerability in \u201cGrand Theft Auto V\u201d allowed malicious trolls to take over users\u2019 games who were entering into single-player mode. By leveraging the flaw, these hackers were not only able to kick gamers off of their single-player session but could also continually kill their avatar.<\/p>\n

So how exactly did these trolls carry out these attacks? Beginning last week, reports began to circulate<\/a> that one popular \u2018mod menu,\u2019 or a series of alterations sought out and installed by players, was all the sudden advertising the ability to discover an online player\u2019s Rockstar ID \u2013 a problem potentially originating<\/a> from a bug found in the game\u2019s most recent update. Taking advantage of this opportunity, hackers gained access to users\u2019 Rockstar IDs and took control of their single-player games. Soon enough, legitimate players\u2019 games were hijacked and sabotaged.<\/p>\n

It is unclear as to whether this vulnerability came out of Rockstar\u2019s most recent update or if this hack has been around for years and just now found its way to public PC mod menus. Either way, it sheds light on how persistent cyberthreats are in the world of online gaming \u2013 even impacting some of the most popular video games out there, such as \u201cGrand Theft Auto V.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tips to Protect Yourself From Hackers and Vulnerabilities<\/h2>\n

Fortunately, reports are already circulating the bug was quietly patched over the weekend (despite confirmation from the game\u2019s developer) \u2013 so to protect against the hack, all users should update their game as soon as possible. However, that doesn\u2019t mean there still aren\u2019t some steps these gamers can take to protect themselves from future hacks and vulnerabilities. Check out the following tips:<\/p>\n