PUBG developers warn people not install new cheating software after arrests of people who make it

Hacks help people perform better in the game – but also steal information from the people using them

A still from the online multiplayer game PUBG.

Cheating on PUBG is so widespread that people are getting arrested and having their information stolen, developers have warned.

Playerunknown's Battlegrounds is one of the biggest and most competitive games in the world. But that has led to players using tricks to get ahead, including downloading new software that makes them better at killing other people in the game.

That software is being used to steal information from the huge numbers of people who use it, developers have warned. And the people making it are being arrested.

The full scale of cheating on the game is incredibly vast. Anti-cheating software company BattlEye said in February that it had banned more than a million cheaters in January alone – warning then that "things continue to escalate", suggesting that the numbers will be even higher now.

Now developers have announced that 15 suspects have been arrested "for developing and selling hacking/cheating programs that affect PUBG", according to a Steam post. "It was confirmed that malicious code, including Trojan horse software, was included in some of these programs and was used to steal user information," they wrote.

But even aside from those arrests, players cheating on PUBG are exposing themselves and their computers to danger. The software is being used to install viruses on the users' computer – and then extract information from them.

The warning came as part of a new update to Steam posted by PUBG Corp, the developers of the game.

As you all now know, we’ve been doing everything possible to root out cheating from PUBG," they said. "The ultimate goal is to create an environment for players that’s completely safe from hackers and cheaters.

"We take cheating extremely seriously. Developing, selling, promoting, or using unauthorized hacking/cheating programs isn’t just unfair for others playing PUBG—in many places, it’s also against the law."

Developers said that they are working on new ways of detecting those cheaters and kicking them off the game.

"We’ve upgraded our security measures, improved our anti-cheat solutions, and recently even added a new anti-cheat solution on top of all that," the Steam post continued. "In the meantime, we’ve also been continuously gathering information on hack developers (and sellers) and have been working extensively with multiple partners and judicial authorities to bring these people to justice."