Latest news with #cheaters
TechCrunch
21 hours ago
- TechCrunch
Electronic Arts blocks more than 300,000 attempts to cheat after launching Battlefield 6 beta
Games giant Electronic Arts launched an open beta over the weekend for its upcoming first-person shooter Battlefield 6 and — almost immediately — the game was swamped with cheaters. Soon after the game's launch, countless players complained online about encountering cheaters. In response, a member of Electronic Arts' anti-cheat team, who goes by AC, wrote in an official forum that the company saw players report 104,000 'instances of potential cheaters' over the first two days of the game's being online, and that it stopped 330,000 'attempts to cheat or tamper with anti-cheat controls.' Like many videogames today, such as Valorant, Electronic Arts uses a kernel-level anti-cheat system called Javelin, which means the system has the highest possible privileges on the computer. This allows it to monitor everything that happens on the machine with the goal of catching cheats, which are often running in the background and disguised as some other program. Contact Us Do you develop cheats, hack video games, or work in anti-cheat? We'd love to hear from you. From a non-work device and network, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or Do you develop cheats, hack video games, or work in anti-cheat? We'd love to hear from you. From a non-work device and network, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or email . In their post, AC admitted that this system is not a guarantee that there will be no cheaters. AC also referred to the fact that the game enforces Secure Boot, a Windows hardware-based security feature. 'On Secure Boot, I want to be clear that Secure Boot is not, and was not intended to be a silver bullet,' AC wrote. 'Secure Boot is how you're helping us build up our arsenal. It's another barrier that helps us make it harder for cheat developers to create cheat programs, and makes it easier for us to detect it when they do.' 'Anti-Cheat isn't one and done, it's an ever evolving battlefield, and what has worked for us previously or in different games doesn't always work in all of them,' AC added. An Electronic Arts spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company has no updated information on the numbers of players who were banned. Techcrunch event Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital, Elad Gil — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $600+ before prices rise. Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. San Francisco | REGISTER NOW Cheaters or game hackers are a problem for every online video game. In recent times, companies like Riot Games, makers of Valorant, and Activision, the makers of the Call of Duty series, among others, have launched kernel-level anti-cheat systems. Philippe Koskinas, the director and head of anti-cheat for Riot Games, told TechCrunch earlier this year, there are several ways in which his anti-cheat system goes after cheaters, as well as cheat makers and sellers. Those include banning cheaters, taking advantage of Windows' own security features to limit where cheats can run, fingerprinting cheaters' hardware so they can't just create a new fresh account to cheat with, and even infiltrating cheat communities on Discord or Telegram.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Battlefield 6's anti-cheat system has already blocked over 330,000 bad apples, but with more flooding the FPS' Open Beta, EA says it "was not intended to be a silver bullet"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Battlefield 6 Open Beta has the hereditary FPS curse: cheaters ahoy! But EA's hard at work disposing of the bad apples and it's acknowledged it has a long way to go before it's fully weeded out the rot. The update comes via a forum update centred around Battlefield 6's Secure Boot, a mandatory anti-cheat measure that'll block entry into the shooter's gates if disabled or if it detects that your PC is running with "vulnerable drivers enabled." With reports about rampant cheating in the upcoming game, EA has said "Secure Boot is not, and was not intended to be a silver bullet." Instead, Secure Boot and the anti-cheat system the Battlefield folks call Javelin is in a constant tug of war with cheaters. "Secure Boot is how you're helping us build up our arsenal," the update continues. "It's another barrier that helps us make it harder for cheat developers to create cheat programs, and makes it easier for us to detect it when they do." EA claims its system "has prevented 330,000 attempts to cheat or tamper with anti-cheat controls," and players have reported over 100,000 instances of potential cheaters to the Battlefield Studios netwatch. "Anti-Cheat isn't one and done, it's an ever evolving battlefield, and what has worked for us previously or in different games doesn't always work in all of them." Even with all the aimbots and wallhacks floating about various matches, Battlefield 6's beta still managed to level its predecessors and reached the most concurrent Steam users in series history, tripling Battlefield 2042's record in mere hours. "CoD won't be lazy anymore": Ex Blizzard boss predicts a beating for Call of Duty at the hands of Battlefield 6, says Activision's FPS "has gone downhill for years"
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
The sneaky ways cheats HIDE spicy apps on their gadgets – and all the clues that your other half is betraying you
HOOK-UP apps, little-known chat services, sneaky shortcuts to dating websites, photo storage for raunchy selfies... Flings take place on phones these days, and cheats are savvy when it comes to hiding their infidelities. Apps can be disguised, hidden, locked away, and even "fake deleted". But the signs of betrayal are there – if you know where to look... 9 'FAKE DELETION' One of the easiest ways to hide an app is to "fake delete" it. This is when a cheater keeps the app uninstalled when it's not in use. And because their account is backed up in the cloud, they can just re-install the app whenever they like – and their dating profile will still be there. It only takes a few seconds to delete an app or reinstall it, so it's one of the most effective ways of concealing dodgy phone antics. But there's evidence that this is going on. For a start, any app activity will always show up in Screen Time – even if the app has been deleted. Screen Time is meant to help you track (and limit) your phone usage, but it also shows which apps are being used and when. You can find it in Settings > Screen Time. Another way to tell if an app has been downloaded is to go to the App Store. If an app has never been downloaded before, it'll have a big "Get" button at the top. But if you've claimed it already, you'll get the reinstall option instead – it looks like a cloud with a down arrow. Also, go into the App Store > Account > Apps > Not On This iPhone. How to lock and hide apps in new iPhone update – but there are two downsides that might catch you out This will show you all of the apps that aren't currently installed – but have previously been claimed. Importantly, you can see the exact order they were installed in. It's a similar story on Android. Just go into the Google Play Store and you can easily see app installation history – including deleted downloads. 9 They're a smoking gun that proves an app was previously downloaded. HIDDEN FOLDERS Another way that cheats hide apps is hide them. Yes, both iPhone and Android have special folders designed to conceal apps. On iPhone, it's called the Hidden folder. You can send an app there by holding down on its icon, then choosing Require Face ID > Hide and Require Face ID. 9 It'll turn up in the Hidden folder, which is right at the bottom of your App Library (the far right panel of your Home Screen). You can't see into this folder without unlocking it using Face ID. But there are three ways you can "see" into the folder. The first is (once again) Screen Time, which will record app usage even if it's hidden. Just go to Settings > Screen Time. 9 Similarly, you'll be able to see hidden app usage in your iPhone's Battery settings. Head into Settings > Battery and look for Battery Usage By App. Even if an app has been hidden, its battery drain will appear on this list. Lastly, the app will show up on your App Store purchase / download history. There's no hiding from it. Just head into your App Store > Account > Apps to expose the app. 9 HIDING APPS ON IPHONE – THE RULES Here's what you can and can't do when it comes to hiding iPhone apps... Hiding an app makes it invisible and prevents it from being opened without Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode. But its name will still appear in three places: Screen Time Battery Usage By App App Store Purchase History An app that comes installed with iOS 18 can't be hidden. It's only apps that you've downloaded separately from the App Store that can be hidden. If you set an app as your default web browser, that can't be hidden either. You can unhide an app at any time. But locking and hiding apps works on a per-device basis. So if you hide an app on your iPhone, it won't automatically be hidden on your iPad. You'd have to hide it there too. Once an app is hidden, info inside that app won't appear elsewhere. That means it won't show up in CarPlay, appear with notification previews, pop up on iPhone Search or Siri Suggestions, or appear in your call history (if there's a calling feature, like on WhatsApp). Picture Credit: Apple / The Sun It's a similar story for Android's Private Space, which also functions as a hidden folder. Apps will still appear in your download history. But a cheater could get around this by logging into a different Google Account for their Private Space. If they do that, you wouldn't be able to see the downloaded apps unless you have a way into the Private Space. You can find the Private Space in Settings > Privacy > Private Space. DISGUISED APPS Another clever trick is to disguise an app. On Android, it's a little more complicated, as the cheater would need to download a "launcher" to change the app icons. But if that happens, you'd still be able to see the list of apps in the phone's app library. On iPhone, changing an app icon is very easy. It works using an Apple app called Shortcuts. 9 Shortcuts are meant to let you make quick actions to save you time. It's a bit like programming little commands – but for your iPhone. And Shortcuts let you create an "Open an app" command for any app. You can give that command its own name and icon. And then you can add that Shortcut to the Home Screen. That Shortcut will look like an app – but it can have any icon you choose. This is a cheater's dream. Or it's very easy to expose. Even though the app's true identity is concealed on your Home Screen, it'll still show up like normal in the iPhone's App Library (the far right panel). And it'll also show everywhere else. Like in your iPhone's Search function, in Screen Time, in Battery settings, and anywhere else an app would normally appear. You could also head into the Shortcuts app to see which Shortcuts have been created. That can also expose this trick. Shortcuts don't have to just be apps either. They could link out to websites and conceal their true identity, so keep that in mind. 9 They could give this website link any icon and name they want. So a dating website could be turned into an entirely innocent app link on the Home Screen – and you'd have no idea unless you checked Shortcuts to see if there's one set up. Maybe that 'reminders' app on the Home Screen is something more devious. HIDING THE NAMES OF APPS Your iPhone also lets you hide the names of apps on the Home Screen. If you hold down on the Home Screen and choose Customise, you can set app icons to large. They'll fill more space – removing their names entirely. You can see if someone has done this because none of the apps will have names. But you can go right into the App Library to see the true names of apps. FAKE APPS Lastly, someone could be using purpose-built fake apps designed to hide content. There are absolutely loads of apps on the App Store and Google Play Store that offer ways of hiding photos and videos in secret storage. And some of these apps even have innocent-looking app icons to avoid raising suspicion. These apps might even have separate passcodes to the main iPhone or Android. And you might not even be suspicious if you see them in the App Library. 9 One sign to watch for is suspicious activity in Screen Time or Digital Wellbeing – or in the phone's battery report. If someone is spending four hours a day on the calculator app, they're either an accountant or something fishy is going on. Navigate to that app to see if it really is a calculator – or something else entirely...
The Sun
22-07-2025
- The Sun
The hidden ways cheats conceal their DMs on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp AND text – & secret folder they hide apps in
SECRET codes for WhatsApp chats and 'restricted' Instagram followers – these are just two of the tricks that cheaters use to hide their DMs. But it turns out that there are loads of ways to conceal private messages on social media apps, including Facebook - and even regular old SMS texts aren't safe from love rat antics. 11 If that wasn't enough, the apps themselves might also be "hidden" from view. Maybe you've got a wayward partner in your life, or you're looking for your own ways to boost the privacy of your chats. Here's The Sun's tech team reveals what to look out for... Facebook One of the easiest ways to hide a Facebook Messenger conversation is to just "mute" it (to silence notifications) and then "archive" it, hiding it in a separate folder. The Archived Chats is a separate folder that keeps specific conversations separate from your main feed of conversations. So you'd only know what's in there by clicking on it. A more tactical method for someone trying to conceal a chat is the Restrict feature. If you 'Restrict' someone, it means you'll see less of the person without blocking them. Importantly, it'll remove their conversation from your chats list and mute it. So someone having an affair could very easily keep a contact "restricted" to make sure the chat stays hidden. Facebook Messenger also has a Disappearing Messages feature that scrubs messages after 24 hours. WhatsApp reveals exacty how to block one of your contacts You can see if it's on for a chat by going into the conversation settings and tapping on Disappearing Messages. This is an easy way for someone to have regular conversations that automatically cleanse themselves – removing all evidence of a chat. And a final option would be a partner creating a "private" Facebook Group that you're not a member of. You'd be blocked from seeing the posts, and there's not much you can do about it. It's even possible to hide groups from you, to keep you in the dark. But if they're logged into their account on a PC or phone, it would be visible on their own profile on that device. Instagram The most basic way that an Instagram user might be concealing something from you is by muting individual DM conversations. They do this by swiping left on the chat panel, tapping the three dots, then choosing the mute option. This prevents notifications from that chat alone from appearing, meaning they don't have to mute all pop-ups. But that's not the only method. One particularly sneaky Instagram trick involves making use of the "Restricted" setting. This is meant to be an anti-abuse feature that limits how someone can interact with you. So if you Restrict a person, it'll hide their comments from everyone else. And their DMs will go to your message requests, and limit notifications. This is what cheaters rely on: any messages from that person will go into the Message Requests folder. It means that the DMs won't show up in your main inbox, and won't trigger any pop-up alerts. WhatsApp The first way someone on WhatsApp might be hiding their texts is a combination of two features: Archive and Mute. 11 Mute will prevent pop-ups from a conversation, and Archive will hide the conversation in a special folder. To find the Archived folder, just look at the top of the chat feed. It should be there with a tag showing how many unread messages are in there. You might need to scroll down slightly to see it. For even more privacy, someone might be using the Locked Chats feature. If you want to read a message in Locked Chats, the phone's owner needs to unlock it with a phone passcode, Face ID, or fingerprint. Any type of chat can be locked, including groups and muted conversations. To find the Locked Chats, you'll need to click the lock icon. That only appears if you swipe down on your chat inbox. But a suspicious phone owner can go even further – by hiding the Locked Chats folder with a secret code. If you're trying to do it on your own phone, you'd go into the Locked Chats folder, tap on settings, then toggle Hide Locked Chats on. Then you'll need to create a secret code – it could be anything. That way, the Locked Chats folder will only appear if you type the secret code into the search bar on the chats tab. If you forget the code and make a new one, the chats will be unlocked and cleared. Sadly, the Locked Chats folder won't appear if you don't know the secret code. The only way to tell if someone has a secret folder would be to click Lock Chat on another chat. If that conversation then disappears but there's no visible Locked Chats folder, it means the folder is hidden. Of course, you then wouldn't be able to unlock that conversation – so you'd raise suspicions. Another WhatsApp feature that someone might be taking advantage of is automatic message deletion. The official name is Disappearing Messages, which lets someone choose to have their texts vanish after a set amount of time. 11 This could be 24 hours, seven days, or 90 days. Once the deadline lands, they're gone forever (unless you choose to manually "keep" them). It can be applied to all WhatsApp chats in Settings > Privacy > Default Message Timer. Or it'll show in specific chats: tap the contact's name or group subject, choose Disappearing Messages, and see what it's set to. It's a great feature for also for betrayal. Texts One cunning way a cheater might conceal their antics is by giving their lover a fake name. Maybe the contact is saved as John Smith, Royal Mail, or even UK Gov. Any nickname is an option to conceal the deceit. There is something that can give this away. If the contact has a WhatsApp account, their true identity and picture may appear there – no matter what they're saved as on your regular texting app. They'll appear as their true self in the WhatsApp contacts panel. There's also a cheeky loophole for hiding texts that they might be exploiting. On iPhone, there's a little-known Deleted Texts recycling bin. This is a hidden folder where the texts you've scrubbed from your phone go to die. They'll stay there for 30 days before vanishing forever. So a sneaky cheater could be deleting their chats to hide them, then restoring them at a moment's notice to continue the affair. These binned conversations can be found in the Recently Deleted folder in your Messages inboxes. Secret apps First off, keep in mind that there are lots of apps that people might use for chatting. So look out for lesser-known apps like Kik, WeChat, or Signal. They're not necessarily suspicious: lots of people use Signal for its privacy protections, for instance. But it could also be a sign of foul play. Secondly, remember that apps can be hidden – so they won't show up on the Home Screen. Your iPhone has a hidden folder, right at the bottom of the App Library panel (the one on the far right of your Home Screen). It's impossible to tell if any apps are in the Hidden folder unless you unlock it with a passcode or Face ID. And Android phones have a "private space" for hiding apps in a similar way. The only way to get in and see would be knowing the passcode to take a look. It's also possible that a scheming partner might be using a disguised app. Some dating apps let you change the app icon appearance, and you can swap out symbols for apps on iPhone too. The Sun recently revealed how a love rat could give a dodgy app a makeover as an innocent calculator. There's also a chance that your partner is deleting these apps and then reinstalling them when they need them. Your phone's app store history will show the order of downloaded apps, included apps that have been "claimed" but aren't currently installed. That's a dead giveaway that an app has been recently installed and then binned.
The Sun
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Love Island fans in shock as ‘cheaters' Remell and Megan are sent packing in savage public vote
ISLAND EXITS The dumped lad admitted he regretted ditching a bombshell in the other villa LOVE ISLAND fans were left in shock as "cheaters" Remell and Megan were sent packing in a savage public vote. The departure came after the public were asked to choose their favourite boy and favourite girl. 6 6 6 6 In tonight's show while Shakira was arguing with Harrison, Giorgio got a text and everyone was sent to gather at the Firepit. The bottom three girls were then revealed as Shakira, Megan and Toni. And the bottom three boys in the firing line were Ben, Harry and Remell. Shockingly, Megan and Remell received the least votes from the public and were then immediately dumped from the villa. Alima furiously ended things with dumped Remell last night in an explosive showdown following his return from the sleepover. instead of pairing with new girl Poppy, who he spent the last two days snogging at every opportunity. During his time in the other villa, Remell made Poppy believe he was going to pick her. He told her: 'I'm being comfy around you still. It's the first time in, you know, the villa that I have felt like this, so it's telling me something.' He even made a shocking confession to the new bombshell and told her he might be 'done' with Alima. But he then changed his mind and Alima was thrilled to be picked, until she learned what Remell had been up to. Alima soon confronted Remell in a bad-tempered chat in the garden and told him last night things between them were over. Meanwhile, Megan finally confirmed last night that she and Tommy were over, after spending recent days ramping up her connection with rugby lad Conor. No sooner had she told a delighted Conor about the development, he suggested they spend the night in the hideaway. The explosive move came after they shared two snogs on the Terrace behind smitten Tommy Bradley 's back, infuriating fans. Megan and Tommy had seemed to be one of the dating show's most secure couples until this week, when her head was turned by Conor - sparking other Islanders to brand the situation 'wife swap'. And fans turned on 'nasty' Megan after she gleefully called Conor and Tommy's row over her "brilliant". 6 6
