Path of Exile 2 Accounts Hacked – Here’s What Went Wrong

By whizzerlow Gaming News
16 January 2025 no comments

Just days before the release of the new Path of Exile 2 Patch, many user accounts were hacked. Let’s find out what happened!

Discover the new Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.1.1!

Path of Exile 2 is the highly anticipated sequel from Grinding Gear Games (GGG). It offers an Action RPG experience with an isometric view in the world of Wraeclast. Released on 6 December 2024 in Early Access for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

The game instantly captured fan attention, achieving great success. With an impressive peak of over 578,000 players logged in during its launch weekend. Continuing to bring exciting updates, such as the recent version 0.1.1 update. However, it was preceded by some unfortunate news.

Path of Exile 2 – News of the Hacking of 66 Accounts

The news broke on 13 January 2025, during an interview with Jonathan Rogers and Mark Roberts on the Ghazzy TV podcast. In response to a question about security, Jonathan confirmed that GGG suffered a breach by a hacker.

At least 66 accounts were compromised in the attack. It was a calculated breach that explained the unusual number of users reporting hacks since November 2024. It affected Path of Exile 1 and 2 accounts over two months. The team later issued an official blog post on the game’s website about the situation.

Path of Exile 1 and 2: How Were the Accounts Hacked?

The breach occurred through the theft of an unused Steam account, granting access to important data. The hacker used this to contact Steam support and recover sensitive data, essentially a case of Social Engineering. This allowed access to the Administrator account of the website.

The hacker then exploited a bug (notes as editable), granting them access to support tools, enabling them to reset user passwords. This bypassed even Steam’s 2-factor authentication. The premeditated attack was only discovered recently after the team found the database was missing logs spanning five days and 66 accounts without recorded notes.

PoE 2: Final Thoughts on the Hacked Accounts

The consequences have been severe, with 66 accounts confirmed among the many reoprted so far. Many users found their accounts locked, and numerous valuable in-game items were stolen. Additionally, accounts suffered data breaches, including IP addresses, Steam IDs, emails, and even home addresses for those who purchased physical merchandise.

The GGG team has yet to resolve the situation, leaving many users frustrated with the delayed response. While they await at least item restoration, while legal implications are also being considered. Hopefully, official news from the team regarding the matter will come soon. 

whizzerlow

A video game enthusiast ever since I first got my hands on a Game Boy. Over the years, I've played many different games across various genres, discovering hidden gems and niche titles along the way. I'm also passionate about technology, always up-to-date with the latest news and insight in the PC and Console market. Ready to share and bring you the latest news !