“Cheaters never win” and “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is” are just a few maxims that come to mind with the news that PC Fortnite players who may have tried to employ a certain cheat may have exposed themselves to some vicious malware.
Andrew Sampson, CEO of game-streaming service Rainway, posted on the company’s Medium blog (via Engadget) about the discovery of a flood of error reports on the company’s servers. Those errors, it turns out, came from a downloadable hack for the ever-popular game that was actually disguised malware.
The hack, writes Sampson, allows Fortnite players to “generate free V-Bucks and use an aimbot.” That’s a combination that seems like a dream to many players.
Except, according to Sampson, it unleashes a nightmare on unsuspecting users: “it immediately installed a root certificate on the device and changed Windows to proxy all web traffic through itself. A successful Man in the Middle Attack,” an attack that allows the third party to inject itself into the two-way connection between the player and the server.
In this case, the attack injected malicious adware that leaves users vulnerable to all sorts of attacks and data theft. And if you think you’re safe, think again: Sampson said the file was downloaded by Rainway users over 78,000 times leading to nearly 400,000 error reports.
This is just the latest example of malware drama for Fortnite as fraudulent versions of the game tricked Android users into downloading it even though the game isn’t yet officially available on Android (though it will be later this summer).
We’ve reached out to Epic Games for comment on the hack.
Popular Fortnite Merch
- DART BLASTING FORTNITE BLASTER REPLICA: This AR L blaster is inspired by the blaster used in Fortnite, capturing the look and colors of the one in the popular video game
- MOTORIZED 10 DART BLASTING: Blast 10 darts from this motorized blaster that has an acceleration button to power up the motor (batteries required, not included)
- 20 DARTS AND 10 DART CLIP: Includes a 10 dart clip and 20 Official Nerf Elite darts.To ensure proper use of AR L blaster ensure access door is fully closed before use. Make sure clip is inserted fully...
- Jenga game with a Fortnite twist: It's an exciting Jenga game with artwork, themes, and characters inspired by the popular Fortnite online video game
- Spin, stack, climb: Players spin the spinner and follow the commands: the number and type of Blocks to stack, and how many layers their Fortnite character must climb
- Don't fall short: Players move their own pegs up and their opponents' Pegs down as they remove and stack blocks. But if the tower falls As they climb or stack -- it's game over for them
- Practice your aim with this targeting set: this set includes an spmrnum-r blaster, 6 darts and 3 llama targets so you can practice your aim or play competitive games with family and friends
- Includes 3 llama targets: comes with 3 llama targets in different sizes to set up exciting games that challenge skills and test aim and accuracy
- Dart-blasting Fortnite blaster replica: this spmrnum-r blaster is inspired by the blaster used in Fortnite, capturing the look and colors of the one in the popular video game
- Dart-blasting replica of the Fortnite blaster: this its blaster is inspired by the blaster used in the popular Fortnite video game
- Pump-action 4-dart blasting: blast 4 darts in a row from this 4-dart, pump-action blaster that's hand-powered by you (no batteries required)
- 8 darts and storage stock: includes 8 official Nerf Mega darts and has storage on the stock for 4 darts, so you can keep backup darts nearby for fast reloading
- Super-Soft, Huggable Plush for All Ages
- High-Quality Materials
- Collectible Rare Loot Llama
- Unique Rocket Battle Royale gameplay.
- Everything is destructible! Real Sandbox mode.
- Craft Defenses, Forts, Towers, Sky Bridges, everything possible!
- Epic Games
- Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Paperback: 112 pages
- Measures 14 inches tall and includes 23 pieces-9 weapons, 4 Back Bling, 8 exclusive building materials and a llama float that fits many 4" Fortnite action figures! Plus, it's pre-filled with a 4-inch...
- Giddy-Up features 25+ points of articulation and highly detailed decoration inspired by one of the most popular outfits from Epic Games' Fortnite.
- Bursting with colorful confetti, reveal your loot by tearing open your Llama to see a War Paint figure and a bunch of cool accessories.
- Ragnarok, Rex, Cuddle Team Leader and Brite Bomber 4" action figures - inspired by four of the most popular outfits from Epic Games' Fortnite.
- 19 points of articulation
- Highly detailed decoration