DonQModz
Hidden Devils
Over the course of the game's lifetime, its various hacking problems have caused several large fallouts, and if we look at all the active years of GTA Online, hacking likely is one of the most discussed topics. Used interchangeably but erroneously with modding, and also single player cheat codes, the last-gen consoles and PC remain susceptible.
In its long battle against hacking, Rockstar has shut down single player mods on the PC several times only to re-enable them after doing so did nothing against Online cheaters, and at one time their new anti-cheat system outright broke the game. After a while, it seemed like no anti-cheat was good enough, so instead they changed their banning policy to a rather Draconian no-tolerance scheme.
Hacking in GTA Online is still fairly common, but things have been reined in recently. Ever since character transfers between the last-gen and current-gen consoles were ceased, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are completely cheat and hack-free, and while there are still instances on PC, things are hardly as severe as they were around 2016 and early 2017.
However, this doesn't mean Rockstar is going to start easing up - if anything, recent news about an Australian GTA Online hacker being sued by Take-Two shows that the company intends to surrender no ground gained. This story doubles as a cautionary tale proving that you need to be mighty careful about what you put out online, because anything compromising will be tracked down.
The story begins in 2014. An individual known online as "Chr0m3 x MoDz", later identified as (will not give his real name out), was developing and spreading GTA Online mod menus and hacks that allowed him and other users to alter and affect the gameplay experiences of other players.
It's the usual fare of spawning props, insta-killing, teleporting, etc. Take-Two and Chr0m3 entered into an agreement in 2014 that legally bound Chr0m3, prohibiting him from altering the game.
[Chr0m3 may not] assist in any way in the development or alterations used in connection with any game developed or owned by the First Applicant, including but not limited to writing code, examining data packets and information exchanged between game users and servers, or exchanges between game users and copyright protection and access control devices
However, in February this year Take-Two discovered a recording where Chr0m3's voice (allegedly) states that he returned to hacking GTA Online after a one-year hiatus, but now simply works secretly, having other individuals take credit for his mods and cheats.
This is in clear violation of the agreement, and Take-Two has moved in to sue. Court documents include a transcript of the conversation.
Take-Two is seeking a more formal and enforceable ban against Chr0m3's hacking activities, as well as damages and the coverage of legal costs.
#Chr0m3