GTA Online patch aims to fix exploit that let hackers steal money and corrupt accounts

An image of Lester from GTA 5, surrounded by computer hardware.
(Image credit: Rockstar)

Rockstar has released a patch for GTA Online that—hopefully—will fix the nasty security vulnerability discovered in January that enabled unscrupulous jerks to steal other players' in-game money, reset their account progress, and even "corrupt" their accounts in a way that effectively leaves them banned from online play.

That's all bad enough in itself, but was potentially only the tip of the iceberg. Speyedr, the creator of the unofficial Guardian firewall mod for GTA5 that aims to protect players from hackers, predicted that the vulnerability could eventually enable remote code execution, enabling hackers to run malware on any PC playing the game.

Rockstar acknowledged the problem shortly after it was reported, saying it aimed to take care of it in a "security-related title update."

That update is now live, and while the patch notes don't go into great detail, it's clearly aimed at addressing the exploit.

The patch notes, courtesy of Rockstar Support:

Security

  • Implemented a new data protocol in GTA Online to improve the security of network sessions and player-to-player messaging
  • Fixed an issue that could result in a player’s GTA Online experience being modified by a third party, including:
  • Altering GTA$ balance, RP level, Bad Sport status, and other player stats
  • Manipulation of players being kicked or crashed

Game Stability and Performance

  • General stability improvements

Does it work? The general consensus seems to be, "Hopefully." Players on the GTA Online subreddit are wading in and so far there aren't any reports of unexpected catastrophe. Rockstar reporter Tez2, who made the initial report on the vulnerability, had a "good news, bad news" reaction to the patch notes.

"In terms of remote exploits, it should be safe now," he said on Twitter when asked if the patch fixed the problem. "In terms of regular cheating, nope. You would still face them in public lobbies, but at least no cheaters should annoy you in invite-only lobbies."

(Image credit: Tez2 (Twitter))

Unfortunately, the changes mean potential headaches for Guardian users, as Speyedr warned that the fix means current and older versions of his mod will now only work with the "solo session" mode. A fix for that should be coming soon, though.

"R* don't usually mess with netcode, but this time it makes sense," Speyedr tweeted. "Will investigate this ASAP and try to get the heuristics working again, if all goes well then I'll just include it with 3.1.0b6."

We'll keep an eye on the subreddit to see how the patch shakes out. I've also reached out to Rockstar for more information on the patch, and will update if I receive a reply.

GTA 6GTA 5 modsGTA 5 cheatsGTA 6 carsSan Andreas cheats

GTA 6: Everything we know
GTA 5 mods: Revved up
GTA 5 cheats: Phone it in
GTA 6 cars: The lineup
San Andreas cheats: All the codes

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Read more
GTA 5 characters
GTA 5 publisher takes legal aim at account-selling site for allegedly raking in 'millions in revenue', while recruiting hackers to keep its cogs turning
Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced screen - Trevor setting fire to somebody's big dumb truck
Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced launch is going poorly or well depending on how you look at it: It's got a 'mixed' rating on Steam and is one of the most-played games
Michael sunbathing in GTA V
3 years later, GTA 5’s Enhanced edition finally comes to PC, and it’s somehow 22GB smaller than GTA 5 Cool Original flavour
GTA 4 - Niko Bellic
GTA 5 mod recreating GTA 4's map nuked after 6 years of work because people noticed, and Rockstar insisted on a 'friendly takedown', if you know what I mean
Mister Fantastic giving a thumbs up
A Marvel Rivals player has uncovered 'one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities a game can have' that'll let cheaters take over your PC and find your passwords
Spider-Man 2 screenshot
Spider-Man 2's first PC patch is live with 'several crash fixes,' UI improvements, and an auto-save backup
Latest in Grand Theft Auto
GTA 5 characters
GTA 5 publisher takes legal aim at account-selling site for allegedly raking in 'millions in revenue', while recruiting hackers to keep its cogs turning
GTA 5 Enhanced
Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced is a bitter-sweet return to Rockstar's money-making machine
Grand Theft Auto 5
How to transfer your GTA 5 save file to GTA 5 Enhanced and accept Rockstar's Online Policies if needed
Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced screen - Trevor setting fire to somebody's big dumb truck
Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced launch is going poorly or well depending on how you look at it: It's got a 'mixed' rating on Steam and is one of the most-played games
GTA 5 Enhanced Edition
What's the difference between Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced and Legacy?
GTA 5 money
The Grand Theft Auto series has now sold over 440 million copies, and say g'day to Rockstar Australia
Latest in News
Man facing camera
The Day Before studio reportedly sues Russian website for calling infamous disaster-game a 'scam'
Will Poulter holding a CD ROM
'What are most games about? Killing': Black Mirror Season 7 includes a follow-up to 2018 interactive film Bandersnatch
Casper Van Dien in Starship Troopers
Sony, which is making a Helldivers 2 movie, is also making a new Starship Troopers movie, but it's not based on the Starship Troopers movie we already have
Assassin's Creed meets PUBG
Ubisoft is reportedly talking to Tencent about creating a new business entity to manage Assassin's Creed and other big games
Resident Evil Village - Lady Dimitrescu
'It really truly changed my life in every possible way': Lady Dimitrescu actor says her Resident Evil Village role was just as transformative for her as it was for roughly half the internet in 2021
Storm trooper hero
Another live service shooter is getting shut down, this time before it even launched on Steam