Meccha Chameleon, the explosively popular multiplayer prop hunt game that sold 15 million copies in just one month, was recently targeted by hackers.
The attacks came in the form of user-generated content (UGC) containing malware, as reported by an independent researcher named Feint, and have since been patched. On the same day, Meccha Chameleon’s Discord server was hacked, but it’s now back up and running.
According to Feint’s Medium post, viruses called malicious droppers were found in certain Steam Workshop community maps, which are available to download for all Meccha Chameleon players. The infected maps installed a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) on the compromised systems, granting attackers persistent remote control of the affected PCs. The game itself was not dangerous; only players who downloaded the malicious maps were impacted.
The infected community maps were quickly taken down, and the game’s 3.1.0 update includes a security patch that makes it “impossible to execute unrelated files such as malware,” according to developer Lemorion_1224.
“Updating to the latest version is strongly recommended,” Feint says. However, “users should continue exercising caution when downloading Workshop content, as new malicious maps could still be uploaded in the future. As always, verify the uploader and prefer maps from trusted creators with an established player base.”
That’s not all. Meccha Chameleon’s Discord server was attacked at the same time. “While investigating and patching a malicious MOD map issue, a system engineer’s PC was infected with malware,” Lemorion writes. “The hacker bypassed the engineer’s Discord 2-Factor Authentication (2FA), took over server permissions, and banned all official staff members from the server.” As of Sunday night, the Discord server had been restored, and the hackers banned.
The Meccha Chameleon attacks have been resolved, but they’re far from the first instances of malware being distributed through Steam. Recently, a 21-year-old was arrested for distributing malware-infected Steam games to thousands of users. Last year saw multipleinstancesof Steam games acting as Trojan horses. Be careful what you download!
About Our Expert
Bee Wertheimer
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I’m a New York-based writer currently serving as PCMag’s Editorial Intern. I cover the impact of technology and internet culture on our daily lives, with a specialization in video games and cultural criticism.
I have written for Kotaku, The A.V. Club, Unwinnable, Aftermath, and more. In addition, I have a formal background in video game development and visual design. You can find all of my work on my website.
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