It’s currently not safe to play Grand Theft Auto V on PC, thanks to a vulnerability that allows hackers to remotely execute code and modify other players’ PC files. While Rockstar is aware of this issue, it has not been resolved as of this writing.
The vulnerability came to light late last week, with its full dangers shared online over the weekend. The GTA V accounts of those affected have been “compromised”, although the risk could become more serious. This doesn’t just apply to GTA Online, those who stick with the story mode are also at risk.
To see what your account being compromised actually means, the video linked below shows a player stuck in a top-down loading screen while trying to go live. You’ll be stuck indefinitely with a soft lockout of your account. You can obviously fix this by removing the Rockstar Games folder from the documentation, but even then, it’s best to make it clear.
This is what it looks like if your account has been “broken” due to a recent RCE exploit on PC. Basically, when you try to type something online, you’re stuck indefinitely.
Avoid GTAO on PC Now#GTAOnline pic.twitter.com/1SqGmz38Jw
— Fluuffball (@Fluuffball) January 21, 2023
According to Tez2, a Twitter user who monitors Rockstar games and posts updates on the situation over the weekend, Rockstar is aware of the issue and has previously documented the affected accounts. However, this obviously won’t stop bad guys from causing serious problems to your PC, but might allow them to help someone who is having in-game problems. Even so, the bug is still getting away with it.
If compared to anything, this could be as dangerous as last year’s Dark Souls online security breach. In order to ensure the safety of players, Bandai Namco shut down the entire series of servers until the vulnerability is fixed. Whether Rockstar will do the same is unclear, but while the path to player PCs remains open, it’s not easy being a GTA V fan.
If you’re a console player, check out our latest GTA Online weekly updates. If you’re on a PC, don’t take any chances! Free cars and RP bonuses come and go, so don’t do them!