Rockstar has fixed a bug that allowed hackers to display Ku Klux Klan members in the online version of Red Dead Redemption 2, although the game is still plagued by problems created by malicious users.
The graphic models of the K.K.K. members come from the single-player part of the game, where this particular group appears on many occasions during the plot of the scenario.
But Red Dead Online players had been introducing characters to the multiplayer game world through the use of mod menus. These tools essentially take complete control of the PC version of the game, doing everything from spawning infinite items to changing the weather for entire lobbies.
Players using the Ku Klux Klan to cause grief or terrorize other players have been reported multiple times on Reddit and other forums in recent weeks. Screenshots also show hackers “escort” those who appear with a racist radio broadcast in the game’s lobby, taking control of the “Rockstar message” channel.
On Tuesday, data miner Tez2 said that this particular use of the mod menu is now disabled thanks to a update that immediately deletes the KKK character model once it is detected in an online game. Rockstar confirmed the removal in a comment to Polygon.
Rockstar has been locked in a long-running battle with hackers on its incredibly popular online games, which use a simple P2P network that is particularly vulnerable to exploits. That battle has included legal action against makers of menu mods for Grand Theft Auto Online, as well as the occasional overly enthusiastic threats against makers of single-player mods for the company.
Rockstar Games was among several gaming companies to publicly support the Black Lives Matter movement following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The company shut down access to its online games for two hours earlier this month in a move the company said was in honor of Floyd.
Source: arstechnica.com
