Destroyer2009 has voiced his side of the story.
In an interaction with Techcrunch, Destroyer2009 reportedly outlined his rationale behind the massive Apex hack perpetrated over the last weekend. We hear it straight from the enigmatic hacker’s mouth.
While there is a need for caution in accepting his declarations at face value, the only resource we have for direct information comes from Destroyer2009 himself.
“Only for fun”, cited as the driving force for Destroyer2009
Whenever someone undertakes such an act, the biggest question that arises is, why? What are the benefits of causing disruptions by committing an offence like this? Are they trying to get a message across to EA? Are they against the players they selected as targets?
In this interview, Destroyer2009 alleges that he simply did it for the kicks and to induce Apex creators into fixing the vulnerability he exploited. Critics, however, argue that there are less invasive and harmful methods of pointing out such glitches.
Was there direct access to Hal and Genburten’s computer?
Recently, it was reported that ImperialHal’s computer was directly linked to a notorious malware server. It’s plausible to assume that this could be the root cause of his problems.
Nonetheless, Destroyer2009 claims that he didn’t access these systems directly. The hacker insisted in the Techcrunch interview that the smoke and mirrors “didn’t extend beyond the game”.
Certainly, it’s conceivable that the hacker might be twisting the truth. They’d be looking to confuse people, obscure their steps and avoid possible legal repercussions. We’ll only get the real picture if and when EA/Respawn provide official clarification on the glitch.
Could Destroyer2009 have caused more harm?
According to another assertion made in this interview, Destroyer2009 had the potential to compound the damage further. They claim to have chosen those players because they are considerate individuals, but not many would exploit similar opportunities in a completely harmless manner.
The hacker further stated, “Picture this – if it wasn’t a prank and we didn’t include any memes in the cheat, a cheat popping up during a tournament could have possibly wrecked someone’s career.”
While these statements should be taken with a grain of salt, if the hacker’s words are truthful, this Apex hack could have had much wider implications. As we have already seen Destroyer2009 distribute gift packs and spawn players into sessions, the level of control they wield remains unclear.
Respawn have already begun patching the flaws. If we take the hacker’s comments at face value, there should be no further such instances. Destroyer2009 seems intent on getting this fixed and then considering it a closed chapter.
That said, the hacker may still be looking at legal repercussions for their actions. With this in mind, these declarations may be a way to soften the blow.
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