PUBG Corp Confirms Arrest of 15 Developers in China for Making and Selling PUBG Cheat Programs

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) isn’t just getting new modes and updates to its gameplay. The company behind the battle royale smash hit, PUBG Corp, is also aggressively pursuing action against its cheaters. It has confirmed that 15 people were arrested for “developing and selling hacking/cheating programs that affect PUBG” on PC. What’s more is that the malicious code, including Trojan horse software , was added as a part of these programs to steal user information. PUBG Corp plans to continue cracking down on hacking and cheating programs as well as those who make them, until its player base can battle it out in a fair environment.

“We’ve upgraded our security measures, improved our anti-cheat solutions, and recently even added a new anti-cheat solution on top of all that. In the meantime, we’ve also been continuously gathering information on hack developers (and sellers) and have been working extensively with multiple partners and judicial authorities to bring these people to justice,” a post from the company reads.

“It was confirmed that malicious code, including Trojan horse software, was included in some of these programs and was used to steal user information,” reads the police statement translated by PUBG Corp.

Developers were arrested for “developing hack programs, hosting marketplaces for hack programs, and brokering transactions.” They have been fined approximately 30 million RNB (Chinese Renminbi), around Rs. 34 crore.

“Other suspects related to this case are still being investigated,” reads the police statement. “Some hack programs that are being distributed through the internet includes a Huigezi Trojan horse (Chinese backdoor) virus."

The Chinese police said it was proven that hack developers used the virus to “control a user’s PC, scan their data, and extract information illegally.”

“The longstanding rumor that hacking/cheating programs extract information from users’ PCs has been confirmed to be true,” said PUBG Corp.

“Using illegal programs not only disrupts others, but can end up with you handing over your personal information.”

Previously, PUBG Corp teamed up with Tencent and Chinese authorities to arrest 120 people suspected of creating hacking and cheating programs for PUBG.

According to a report from Bloomberg, Tencent has “helped law enforcement agents uncover at least 30 cases and arrest 120 people suspected of designing programs that confer unfair advantages”. These include granting players the ability to see-through walls or have auto-aim that ensures you never miss hitting an opponent.

As per Chinese law, disrupting computer networks could result in five years of jail time or more, making cheating in PUBG a risky proposition. Nonetheless, it’s so prevalent that Bluehole’s anti-cheats partner, BattlEye, has banned 1.5 million accounts. That’s six percent of the game’s 40 million user base.

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