Over the past few weeks, more than 40,000 Dota 2 players have faced bans for using third-party software to cheat in games. Valve, the developer of Dota 2, has not disclosed the specific software involved, but they did explain in a detailed blog post that this software was able to access internal data within the Dota client. Normally, this data should not be accessible to regular players as it would provide an unfair advantage. However, once Valve discovered how the cheats worked, they cleverly set a trap by releasing a downloadable patch that included a “secret” area in the client, which could only be accessed using the third-party software. As expected, those players who fell into the trap soon faced the consequences of Valve’s ban hammer.
In Valve’s statement, they explained, “This patch created a honeypot: a section of data inside the game client that would never be read during normal gameplay, but that could be read by these exploits. Each of the accounts banned today read from this ‘secret’ area in the client, giving us extremely high confidence that every ban was well-deserved.” This wave of bans serves as a strong and visible example for the Dota 2 community, as even professional players will face prohibitions from all of Valve’s competitive and esports events if caught cheating. These initial bans also aim to discourage potential cheaters who may have been considering similar nefarious actions, such as auto-aim abilities, attacking immediately when a target is within range, seeing through the Fog of War, and more.
Valve concludes by asserting their commitment to combating cheaters in Dota 2. They will continue to address new exploits as they arise and extend gratitude to those who have individually reported players and reviewed overwatch cases to ensure justified punishments. It’s worth noting that Valve is not the only company striving to rid their ecosystem of cheaters. Ubisoft recently banned nearly 19,000 accounts for cheating in their games, although they did not provide specific details about the affected games or the type of software used.
In another effort to maintain fair gameplay, Rainbow Six Siege has introduced a new “Mousetrap” update. This update seeks to identify players who use hardware devices like XIM to gain an advantage by using a keyboard and mouse on an Xbox console, offering more precise movements and targeting compared to using a controller. Instead of instantly banning such players, Ubisoft has chosen to gradually increase input lag on these systems, essentially making it more cumbersome to use them and encouraging players to switch back to using a controller. Additionally, Riot Games has recently warned League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics players about the possibility of new cheats emerging, as the source codes for these games were stolen last month.
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Eugen Boglaru is an AI aficionado covering the fascinating and rapidly advancing field of Artificial Intelligence. From machine learning breakthroughs to ethical considerations, Eugen provides readers with a deep dive into the world of AI, demystifying complex concepts and exploring the transformative impact of intelligent technologies.
