Team Fortress 2 & CSGO source code leaks cause community scare, Valve responds
A recent source code leak for Team Fortress 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive had communities worried about remote code security, but Valve says not to worry.
When a game has public and private servers, knowledge of certain code can lead to some worrying situations about security across server access. Such was the case when the Team Fortress and Counter-Strike communities discovered that source code for both games had been leaked online, and though several ends of the community were left worried and took precautions by shutting down servers, Valve has stated that it is observing the situation and there’s no cause for alarm quite yet.
The issue made itself known when users on the Team Fortress 2 Subreddit notified the community that source code to that game and CSGO had been leaked online in a torrent on April 22, 2020. The issue is that by manipulating the source code when playing in applicable servers, remote code can be deployed that allows users to execute commands on other users' PCs, potentially leading to malware issues or worse. Such was the case, several public servers saw fit to close down service until a statement could be rendered by Valve.
Source code for both CS:GO and TF2 dated 2017/2018 that was made available to Source engine licencees was leaked to the public today. pic.twitter.com/qWEQGbq9Y6
— Steam Database (@SteamDB) April 22, 2020
Valve spoke to the matter later on April 22, 2020 via the CSGO Twitter and in correspondence with PC Gamer. Valve stated that it is looking into the matter, but also revealed that the code that had been leaked was from 2017, and had originally leaked in 2018 as well. Valve added that playing on public servers would be the best way to avoid any issue for the time being as it continues to look into the matter, inviting anyone with further information on the leak to contact Valve via its security page.
For the origin of this particular leak, Valve News Network's Tyler McVicker said in a Twitch stream that many were aware of the source code and, in particular, the Lever Softworks Source Engine modding team took steps to try to bury the code, but the source of the leak was allegedly a disgruntled member of the team who has recently been kicked out of the group.
Whatever the case, Valve is aware of the situation regarding the leaks in both games and the situation seems to be under control, at least for the time being. Stay tuned as we follow this story for further news and information regarding the CSGO and Team Fortress 2 source code leaks.
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