Bethesda responds to Fallout 76 hacking concerns on PC

Troubling news emerged for PC players of Fallout 76 earlier this week, after a modder detailed various ways in which the game can be broken and manipulated by other players. Bethesda has since responded, stating that many claims are “either inaccurate or based on incorrect assumptions,” but has set out to fix some legitimate issues outlined in the post.

The thread appeared on Fallout’s subreddit, with user teetharejustdone stating that Fallout 76 is just as easy to modify as its predecessors. The supposed lack of server checks to verify model and file integrity creates a vulnerability that allows players to convert existing or create new mods to gain an advantage over other players in the always-online game.

With terrain and collision being client side, teetharejustdone suggests that a simple edit to the .esm file would allow players to walk through almost anything. Not only can Wireshark supposedly be used to continuously send packets to the server in order to gain access to other players’ health and location, but it can also allow the modder to grab someone’s IP and “forge a packet with the disconnect command in it and knock them offline!”

While Bethesda has brushed a lot of the post off as false information, it states that the post has “called to attention several issues that our teams are already actively tracking and planning to roll out fixes for. Our goal is always to deliver a great experience for all our players. Cheating or hacking will not be tolerated. We know our fan base is passionate about modding and customizing their experience in our worlds and it's something we intend to support down the road.”

The Reddit user questioned Bethesda’s contradictory statement as well as the publisher’s lack of clarity on which parts were false, yet commended the community for raising awareness of legitimate problems.

Bethesda is set to continue building its post-apocalyptic multiplayer experience throughout its next few beta slots. Players might have to wade through some trolls in the game’s early days, however as it’s unlikely that all problems will be fixed ahead of the title’s release on November 14^th.

KitGuru Says: Fallout 76 has had a rocky time with its first beta, but it is worth remembering that this is new ground for Bethesda. What did you think of the beta? Will you be picking the game up on launch?

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