Rockstar Stops Hackers From Spawning KKK Members In Red Dead Online

Rockstar has closed a loophole that let hackers spawn white-hooded Ku Klux Klan members in the “Red Dead Online” multiplayer portion of Red Dead Redemption 2, even as other hacking problems in the game persist.

The models for the KKK members come from the single-player portion of the game, where the Klan features in a number of in-game plotlines. But Red Dead Online players had been inserting the characters into the multiplayer game world through the use of mod menus. These tools essentially take full control of the PC version of the game, doing anything from spawning infinite items to changing weather patterns for entire lobbies.

Players using KKK spawning to grief and/or terrorize other players has been reported numerous times on Reddit and other forums in recent weeks. Screenshots also show hackers accompanying these spawns with racist invective broadcast to the game lobby by taking control of the “Rockstar message” channel.

On Tuesday, data miner Tez2 said this particular use of mod menu is now disabled thanks to a patch that instantly deletes the KKK character model as soon as its detected in an online game. Rockstar confirmed that removal in a comment to Polygon.

Rockstar has been stuck in a long-standing battle with hackers in its incredibly popular online games, which use a simple P2P mesh network that is particularly susceptible to exploits. That battle has included legal action against the makers of mod menus for Grand Theft Auto Online, as well as occasionally overzealous threats against makers of single-player mods for the company’s games.

Rockstar Games was among many game companies to offer public support for the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The company shut down access to its online games for two hours earlier this month in a move the company said was to honor Floyd’s legacy. READ MORE HERE