If you play CS Global Offensive, also called CS GO, then this news is of prime importance to you. The source code of this widely popular game has been leaked online. The code is spreading on the internet like wildfire and tension among the gaming community is rising.
How the code leaked…
The information about this damaging leak was first shared on twitter by @2Eggsss. The tweet says that the source code of two popular computer games, CS GO and Team Fortress 2 (TF2), was leaked online. Both games are developed and published by a company named Valve. Information about the leak was released in the last week of April. If the tweet is to be believed, the code was leaked on purpose by and ex employ of the valve. This employee, named Max, was recently fired by the valve. In addition to code, he also released snippets of some conversation with other valve employees. The authenticity of information about this employee is yet to be verified.
How Dangerous is it?
It took CS GO less than 24 hours to come out and release an official statement about the issue at hand. They used their twitter handle to confirm the news about the leak. But in the same tweet, they also tried to play down the issue. They claimed that the CS Go source code leak is from 2017 and the company has released several major updates since then. The tweet also said that the following code was already leaked in 2018. The only difference this time is that the code was spread a lot more vigorously. The company also advised gamers to use only the official game servers for playing an online game. The gravitas of the situation can be understood by the fact that TF2 also tweeted within 24hours. Their previous tweet was dated as back as august 2019.
CS GO tweet –
“We have reviewed the leaked code and believe it to be a reposting of a limited CS: GO engine code depot released to partners in late 2017, and originally leaked in 2018. From this review, we have not found any reason for players to be alarmed or avoid the current builds (as always, playing on the official servers is recommended for greatest security). We will continue to investigate the situation and will update news outlets and players if we find anything to prove otherwise. In the meantime, if anyone has more information about the leak, the Valve security page describes how best to report that information.”
Can this affect the gameplay?
Short answer, yes! The leak of this scale has the potential to damage the gaming community in a big way. One can expect a surge in the number of bots, cheats, and hackers. There is no denying that all these unethical activities were already happening in the gaming circle. But with entire source code getting leaked, hackers will find it ever so easy to create more mods and hacks. Earlier creating a hack or mod was more of a hit and trial kind of thing. But now, this source code will act as a blueprint and they will be able to manipulate things on a different level. Some unaware alarmed gamers are also seeing this situation as a complete disaster or as a catastrophe.
The Mounting fear
In the aftermath of CS GO source code leak, fear, and rumors among the gaming community have increased. They believe the game will now be filled with malicious code and ransomware which can be dangerous for them. Though it is a minor possibility, it’s highly unlikely that a well-established game like CS Go will fall apart so easily. Also, getting access to source code doesn’t give you access to push your malicious code on the protected servers. The leaked code can only act as a guide for hackers to create new cheats, hacks, and bots.
Shall you stop playing the game?
Uninstalling the game and saying goodbye to it will be nothing but an alarmist response to the situation. As the CS Go verified, there is no need to be afraid of any cyber attack at least not on the official servers. But a little precaution while playing the game will cause no harm. Preparing yourself mentally for a sudden surge in hacks (until a patch is rolled out) can be helpful. For more information about cybersecurity, you can read more articles here.
