What's the current hacking status like in DayZ:SA?

[bubba42 9]

I keep asking the same question over and over again: Why do you believe them? These guys constantly claim that their hacks are undetected. They have an obvious motive for that, you know, this is their business. Do I seriously have to mention this?

So go on believing these honorable honest entities.

 

SIGH!  Seriously... acting like nothing is wrong does not help the situation.  I know first hand from an in-game hacker that admitted VA works, but hey, actions speak louder than words, shall I begin posting videos of VA in action, in game in let's say the last month?  Here is one example....

 

The fun of this video starts around the :50 mark.

 

http://www.dayztv.com/video/dayz-do-you-recognise-this-man-dayz-cheat/

 

What's that?  Oh yes, the hacker once again admits he is using VA, and it's no big deal.  It's easy to understand why as those of us not living in a fantasy filled world know first hand that these hackers are using VA effectively and TO DATE.  And why would they lie?  so that they can maybe grab 13 bucks and run off?  They do it because it's a monthly money maker and they seem to be not afraid of you guys as you have no response to them.  The guy in the video might be using an exploit to hover in the air, but he admits to using VA which has a host of other HACKS, including ESP.

 

I contacted RunningManZ on Twitch, he confirmed the video was recorded September 8th.  THREE DAYS AGO.  Why would I not believe them? 

 

Shall I continue?  Show us you are the best.  Put an end to this madness.  Open up the lines of communication and let the community know you guys are on top of it.  Challenge the coding community to reporting hacks and consider giving a reward for verified hacks to games.  Do something other than giving lip service.

 

Sable, it is not my intent to insult or degrade you or your work, it is my intent to show you that what your company has been doing is alienating the gaming community and pretending everything is unicorns, rainbows, and chocolate cake all the time is complete damned nonsense.  It's time for you guys to grow a pair and demand better for yourselves and for the gaming community.

 

Actions is what I'm calling for, and some transparency in what it is you guys have done and are going to do to rectify these problems.  I'm not asking for specifics, just something that shows you guys are on it.  Why is that so hard?  You are not exposing any trade secrets, just asking for an open dialogue with the community.

 

And let me reiterate one more thing, ESP has been around since the mod for almost two years, what has BI or BE done to curtail it?  The DayZ community must conclude NOTHING.  Prove me wrong.

Edited September 11, 2014 by bubba42

[hothtimeblues 128]

I keep asking the same question over and over again: Why do you believe them? These guys constantly claim that their hacks are undetected. They have an obvious motive for that, you know, this is their business. Do I seriously have to mention this?

So go on believing these honorable honest entities.

You make a good point. But have you guys looked at the numbers and know how many people are just buying a second or third Dayz and Steam account when they get banned? If you did I think you would find why hacking is so out of control and why a lot of people believe hacking is undetectable.

[WhiteZero 72]

Well I apologize if I am doing anything wrong. I honestly didn't understand how making everyone respawn is a simple exploit.

I think it's been explained elsewhere, including the Status Update. Basically it's an exploit that causes a re-initialization of the server/characters, kinda similar to the old exploit of crashing the server by throwing a split. I think this exploit causes a kind of "soft restart" of the server that basically wipes character and location data and re-spawns everyone at Vybor.

Triggering something like this is totally different from something like the DayZ Mod Thunderdome hack where the hacker is literally moving players around the map to wherever they want. Something like this is not possible with SA's server/client architecture, since just about everything is determined by the server, as opposed to the mod where lots of things were done client-side.

 

At least that is how I understand the situation.

Edited September 11, 2014 by WhiteZero

[hothtimeblues 128]

Thanks. That is helpful and I appreciate it.

So literally they are simply choosing a specifc character layout at the menu screen? Or do they have to get a bunch of friends to chose a chacter layout all at the same time?

[WhiteZero 72]

Thanks. That is helpful and I appreciate it.

So literally they are simply choosing a specifc character layout at the menu screen? Or do they have to get a bunch of friends to chose a chacter layout all at the same time?

I don't think those using this Exploit are "choosing" anything, they are simply triggering the re-initialization. The location (Vybor) and character type (black female) seen when this happens are apparently just the default states that the server uses when it's triggered.

 

Basically:

1. Hacker triggers the exploit
2. Server goes "oh shit, I need to re-initialize, but I don't know where these characters were or what they were. Better stick them at this default location with a default character type

Edited September 11, 2014 by WhiteZero

[GrumpyFragger 67]

I keep asking the same question over and over again: Why do you believe them? These guys constantly claim that their hacks are undetected. They have an obvious motive for that, you know, this is their business. Do I seriously have to mention this?

So go on believing these honorable honest entities.

 

Why should we believe you ? You have the same motives as they have... sell more copies of your hacker/duper/glitcher riddled game! Only difference between you and the hackers is that they actually can proof ( YouTube is full of DayZ SA hacker videos submitted by hacker or victims ) while you beating a dead horse since month telling us sweet nothings about the enormous ammout of bans that have been issued and with the next patch everything is fixed but infact nothing has changed since month apart that is getting worse and worse.

[General Zod 1114]

I keep asking the same question over and over again: Why do you believe them? These guys constantly claim that their hacks are undetected. They have an obvious motive for that, you know, this is their business. Do I seriously have to mention this?

So go on believing these honorable honest entities.

Allow me to answer your question with your own question. 

Why should we believe you ? You guys constantly claim that you detect hacks. You have an obvious motive in that, you know this is your business. Do I seriously have to mention this ?

 

The problem here is that cheating in dayz is rampant beyond players wildest dreams. And who should we believe when presented with such unprecedented numbers of cheaters ? 

You who claim that you got this covered.

Or the hackers who says, they can't do much, which is why there are so many of them around ?

 

Worst yet you can't back your statement with any numbers, and I shouldn't trust cheaters more than you guys, but all I need to do is to join the server and see for myself who is winning the fight. 

I see the number of cheaters and it is a big one. But I don't see a ban list. 

What you ask of us here is to take a leap of faith. And some of us won't do that. 

 

And before you reply here with your usual polite, if you don't want to believe us it's fine yada yada yada. We invested into this game, into it's early development, we need something to assure us that final game won't be a cheating paradise that it is now. We need a beacon of hope. We need you to make a lanterns oath here and give us something we rest our trust on.

In brightest day, in blackest night,

No cheats shall escape my sight.

Let those who worship cheats might

Beware my power-- BattleEye light!

Edited September 11, 2014 by General Zod

[Cpanther 221]

Why should we believe you ? You have the same motives as they have... sell more copies of your hacker/duper/glitcher riddled game! Only difference between you and the hackers is that they actually can proof ( YouTube is full of DayZ SA hacker videos submitted by hacker or victims ) while you beating a dead horse since month telling us sweet nothings about the enormous ammout of bans that have been issued and with the next patch everything is fixed but infact nothing has changed since month apart that is getting worse and worse.

BE is a "service" contracted by Bohemia Interactive....is not "their" game.

[hothtimeblues 128]

Oh snap. But they both have a point. BE does have a point in saying the paid hacks may lie about how well their hacks go undetected to make more sales. However, they guy above me points out the beautiful irony of BE questioning motives when it's a fact that it is very easy to purchase a new Steam and DayZ account if they get banned. This is not BE's fault at all in their defense. But the beautiful irony about BE questioning motives or special interests is that if you want to talk about a business model, it makes sense to allow people to purchase new Dayz accounts and new steam accounts on the same computer when they get panned. So if anything, some people may say that it is one big brilliant ponzi scheme.

I don't think that's the case. I don't think they are purposely letting people get away with hacking. I think that they just decided it's worth it to not devote time and resources to closing loopholes so early in development. Maybe in Beta and final release where quality matters Bohemia will close the loopholes in the final buillds and then the game will be wonderful like we want it to be. So patience guys, we must hold on to the shred of hope that everything will be better in terms of hacking.

The only thing that scares the shit out of me is that this whole hacking thing in Dayz has built up such a demand for hacks, that even if they close loopholes there will be amazing talent out there willing to crack the better builds. So the hammer needs to come down soon that hacking won't be tolerated so that the demand for hacks in Dayz starts to die down.

Edited September 11, 2014 by hothtimeblues

[$able 257]

Why should we believe you ? You have the same motives as they have... sell more copies of your hacker/duper/glitcher riddled game! Only difference between you and the hackers is that they actually can proof ( YouTube is full of DayZ SA hacker videos submitted by hacker or victims ) while you beating a dead horse since month telling us sweet nothings about the enormous ammout of bans that have been issued and with the next patch everything is fixed but infact nothing has changed since month apart that is getting worse and worse.

I honestly don't care if you don't believe me. If you believe I come here posting lies, then that's fine. Don't get me wrong, I'm just as frustrated as you. Don't ever assume I'm happy with the current situation.

Either way, I believe I'm just about done posting here. Let's just come to the conclusion that BE is essentially useless, k?

On a side note, there is a reason I keep mentioning that BE is constantly evolving. Something new has been in development for quite a few months now, but unfortunately things take time and it's not only up to me/BE to make things happen. There is the DayZ dev team which is constantly working on many other important things as well. Anyway, a few glimpses of what's coming can already be seen in ArmA 2 OA. Most probably won't realize what I'm talking about, but that's all I can say for now.

Edited September 11, 2014 by BEdev-Sable

[hothtimeblues 128]

I honestly don't care if you don't believe me. If you believe I come here posting lies, then that's fine. Don't get me wrong, I'm just as frustrated as you. Don't ever assume I'm happy with the current situation.

Either way, I believe I'm just about done posting here. Let's just come to the conclusion that BE is essentially useless, k?

On a side note, there is a reason I keep mentioning that BE is constantly evolving. Something new has been in development for quite a few months now, but unfortunately things take time and it's not only up to me/BE to make things happen. There is the DayZ dev team which is constantly working on many other important things as well. A few glimpses of that can already be seen in ArmA 2 OA. Most probably won't realize what I'm talking about, but that's all I can say for now.

That's good to evolve. Can you evolve into a service that can help steam and bohemia take a "snap shot" of each PC's specific operating system ID so that when you do ban people, they don't commit the same exact offense in the same exact game that you are employed to monitor. You could sell this as a way for Bohemia to avoid the costly endeavors of actually closing the loopholes in the game in the first place, and at the same time, reduce hacking by 20-50% in my calculations. It's one thing for us players to get killed by a hacker once. But a lot of the hackers are getting back into the game and killing us again, and again, and again. It's a direct insult to the work you do every day. Edited September 11, 2014 by hothtimeblues

[General Zod 1114]

I honestly don't care if you don't believe me. If you believe I come here posting lies, then that's fine. 

Either way, I believe I'm just about done posting here. Let's just come to the conclusion that BE is essentially useless, k?

Have you considered how does this sounds as to us the players ? 

Let me tell you, it sounds as a polite version of

I don't have anything to back my statements with, but if you don't believe my empty words (made to look like that by massive numbers of cheaters) I will fuck off from here, because frankly sir, I don't give a damn. 

There, it's simple.

You don't have a proof that you detect cheats, and cheaters do have proof that you are not handling things. So don't be surprised people don't believe you. And it's only because we don't see the numbers of cheaters decreasing. Either because it you struggle and it will take time, or because you are failing. And some people are just assuming the latter. 

Edited September 11, 2014 by General Zod

[hothtimeblues 128]

Yeah, and this scares the shit out of me that BE or Steam is not interested in preventing people from downloading new accounts after being banned. The simplest solution to reducing hacking, (by preventing the same operating system from allowing a new account after being banned), is completely ignored. I really don't understand why. I would be fine with any asshole hacking and killing me as long as they can only do it until they get banned. Then, the can never install again on the same operating system. It's a win win. Bohemia wont' have to close loopholes costing months of coding, and we don't get raped by the same script kiddies.

Edited September 11, 2014 by hothtimeblues

[bubba42 9]

I honestly don't care if you don't believe me. If you believe I come here posting lies, then that's fine. Don't get me wrong, I'm just as frustrated as you. Don't ever assume I'm happy with the current situation.

Either way, I believe I'm just about done posting here. Let's just come to the conclusion that BE is essentially useless, k?

On a side note, there is a reason I keep mentioning that BE is constantly evolving. Something new has been in development for quite a few months now, but unfortunately things take time and it's not only up to me/BE to make things happen. There is the DayZ dev team which is constantly working on many other important things as well. Anyway, a few glimpses of what's coming can already be seen in ArmA 2 OA. Most probably won't realize what I'm talking about, but that's all I can say for now.

 

WOW!  That is the most honest answer I have seen from any BE staff member.  I implore you to not stop coming and posting Sable.  It's not about beating you up, it's about communication, and what you just said is way more information than we have EVER seen.  That is the kind of info we would like to see.  It's honest, quick and to the point.

 

Now, to your point about BE being useless.  I would argue it's not useless, but you guys have spent a considerable amount of unneeded effort in cloak and dagger shenanigans that most goodwill from the community is gone.  Your post above begins paving a way for that good will to return. 

 

Here is a question I hope you can expound upon.  Is BE actively pursuing a response to the ESP hacks that are almost two years old for DayZ Standalone?

[bubba42 9]

Yeah, and this scares the shit out of me that BE or Steam is not interested in preventing people from downloading new accounts after being banned. The simplest solution to reducing hacking, (by preventing the same operating system from allowing a new account after being banned), is completely ignored. I really don't understand why. I would be fine with any asshole hacking and killing me as long as they can only do it until they get banned. Then, the can never install again on the same operating system. It's a win win. Bohemia wont' have to close loopholes costing months of coding, and we don't get raped by the same script kiddies.

 

I hate to burst your bubble but OS ID's or System Keys are easily hacked and interchangeable, not to mention that you can image an installed OS and get it back on your system in 15 minutes with VM tech and SSD's.  My home computer is setup that way, a complete image of the OS after all updates sits on an SSD in a VM image, and I can fully restore my system in under 15 minutes, just reinstall steam and go.

[$able 257]

Have you considered how does this sounds as to us the players ? 

Let me tell you, it sounds as a polite version of

I don't have anything to back my statements with, but if you don't believe my empty words (made to look like that by massive numbers of cheaters) I will fuck off from here, because frankly sir, I don't give a damn. 

There, it's simple.

You don't have a proof that you detect cheats, and cheaters do have proof that you are not handling things. So don't be surprised people don't believe you. And it's only because we don't see the numbers of cheaters decreasing. Either because it you struggle and it will take time, or because you are failing. And some people are just assuming the latter.

How many times did I try explain that in this business you can't have transparency? I'm really sorry, it's not possible. Again, if you think that I don't care even though I participate in a discussion with the community, then so bet it.

Here is a current number for you: 25,321 (after 8 months). That number grew much more quickly in the beginning, since now most popular private hacks are constantly detected/down. Oh wait, I can't back that statement up, so I'll just shut up. :P

[ChainReactor 922]

To back Sable a bit up: Guys, please keep in mind that the BE crew also has to deal with a constantly changing and developing game, especially since there is still work on the engine going on. I can imagine that every major update can and will bring new possible loopholes, exploits and glitches not only the DayZ Devs but also the BE devs have to handle.

[SmashT 10907]

How many times did I try explain that in this business you can't have transparency? I'm really sorry, it's not possible. Again, if you think that I don't care even though I participate in a discussion with the community, then so bet it.

Here is a current number for you: 25,321 (after 8 months). That number grew much more quickly in the beginning, since now most popular private hacks are constantly detected/down. Oh wait, I can't back that statement up, so I'll just shut up. :P

That number is actually pretty close to the number Hicks posted about for a single week back in March if you do the math. (Over 800)

[TheWeedMan 132]

Ok I think Sable's been grilled enough, can we have a BI Dev shed some light please....I dont think we need to know exact details or giveaway valuable info so a simple yes or no will suffice my questions....

Does the Dev team know where the breach in the gamecode is thats allowing these cheats to manipulate the current state of the game?

Are they doing anything about it or simply relying on anti-cheat systems to deal with it (double barrel question)?

[hothtimeblues 128]

I hate to burst your bubble but OS ID's or System Keys are easily hacked and interchangeable, not to mention that you can image an installed OS and get it back on your system in 15 minutes with VM tech and SSD's. My home computer is setup that way, a complete image of the OS after all updates sits on an SSD in a VM image, and I can fully restore my system in under 15 minutes, just reinstall steam and go.

OK, I didn't know that. So i'm actually glad you told me as this explains why they can't use this method of reducing hacks. So that means we simply have to wait until Bohemia closes the loopholes in the later patches of DayZ.

So I hate to burst BE's bubble, but how useful are they if anyone can just buy a new copy of the game and cheat again? To me, we should never use the word Ban. Because if I can just purchase a new copy of the game, I didn't get banned, I simply paid a fine. Paying a fine really means it's OK to hack, just give us more money.

A real ban means you are banned for life. Like in leagues that have integrity.

A ban is meaningless if you simply pay a fine to get back into the game.

Is it really impossible to see like a very specific IP address from a PC that installs Dayz for the first time and then never allow someone who is using that same IP address to install a second copy of the game?

[bubba42 9]

To back Sable a bit up: Guys, please keep in mind that the BE crew also has to deal with a constantly changing and developing game, especially since there is still work on the engine going on. I can imagine that every major update can and will bring new possible loopholes, exploits and glitches not only the DayZ Devs but also the BE devs have to handle.

Oh I know that is a true and accurate statement, but ESP has been around for over 2 years, it is a game killing hack for players.  There is no defense against it in game.  And to my knowledge, it has NEVER been addressed.  After playing ARMA games for two years, the community deserves to know what is being done to address it.

[ChainReactor 922]

Is it really impossible to see like a very specific IP address from a PC that installs Dayz for the first time and then never allow someone who is using that same IP address to install a second copy of the game?

 

Are you aware that barely anyone on a home-pc has a static IP?

[Cpanther 221]

Are you aware that barely anyone on a home-pc has a static IP?

Well, not the PC.. but your network hub does.

[bubba42 9]

OK, I didn't know that. So i'm actually glad you told me as this explains why they can't use this method of reducing hacks. So that means we simply have to wait until Bohemia closes the loopholes in the later patches of DayZ.

So I hate to burst BE's bubble, but how useful are they if anyone can just buy a new copy of the game and cheat again? To me, we should never use the word Ban. Because if I can just purchase a new copy of the game, I didn't get banned, I simply paid a fine. Paying a fine really means it's OK to hack, just give us more money.

A real ban means you are banned for life. Like in leagues that have integrity.

A ban is meaningless if you simply pay a fine to get back into the game.

Is it really impossible to see like a very specific IP address from a PC that installs Dayz for the first time and then never allow someone who is using that same IP address to install a second copy of the game?

 

The problem with what you suggest is that if they allow you to buy it again, a contract has been made and they have to honor it until you or they break the rules of the contract.  That's always been an issue with Steam.  Like you say, a hacker could just keep paying them again and again as they get banned.  Steam isn't going to say no to money. 

 

Plus IP address changes are pretty common on most broadband networks.  For example, I am on Comcast Cable.  If I want to change my IP address.  The easiest way for me is to unplug my cable router for about 20 minutes, then plug it back up.  About 90 percent of the time, I receive a new IP Address.  And who's to say that a legitimate user gets my IP Address and wants to play DayZ on Steam, if his IP were banned by Steam, He's SOL.

Edited September 11, 2014 by bubba42

[hothtimeblues 128]

Not really, I don't know much about networks at all.

I'm just trying to pull out ideas to stop people from installing a second Dayz and Steam account on the same PC, OS, or location.

If possible it would greatly reduce hacking and not add any extra time into closing loopholes. It's the fastest way to reducing hacking since the same loopholes have been open in Dayz for over 2 years.

Think guys, think.

How about this.... In order to install Steam or Dayz..... your location within 500 feet accuracy must be registered. There has to be some kind of tracing program/software that will know your physical location that must be completed in order to install. This physical GPS location is then kept in the data base of Steam and Dayz. Once a piece of shit decides to hack and gets global banned......... When that person tries to install the game again, and the same GPS location comes up, they are not allowed to install the new copy of the game.

It would not prevent people with laptops who play anywhere but most people play this game on desktops.

You are welcome, someone who patents this idea will be a millionaire.