win.gg
Win.gg Apex Legends Is it safe to play Apex Legends? All we know about the Destroyer2009 hack

Is it safe to play Apex Legends? All we know about the Destroyer2009 hack

Fariha Bhatti
Fariha Bhatti Published 19/03/2024
Google Preferred Source
Apex Legends Seer

A hacker has rocked the entire Apex Legends community by breaching a live ALGS game. An infamous Apex figure, Destroyer2009, is supposedly behind the hack, leaving players wondering if it’s safe to play Apex Legends. 

On March 17, Destroyer2009 provided hacks to Noyan “Genburten” Ozkose and then Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen in the middle of the NA Regional Finals of ALGS. Both pro players stopped playing the game after realizing they had been hacked, but the latter still got banned while trying to play competitive Apex Legends. 

Cheating is a common issue in any online game, but this event has raised concerns over online safety and game integrity. ALGS is Apex’s biggest tournament, and if pro players are prone to a breach, then is it really safe to play Apex for a regular player?

Here’s what we know about the Destroyer2009 hack. 

What’s the Destroyer2009 hack?

Apex Legends

The Destroyer2009 is an advanced hack that community figures are still making sense of. A notable anti-cheat account on X, anti-cheat police department, initially suspected that Destroyer2009 may have utilized an RCE (Remote Code Execution) cheat. They also confirmed it with Destroyer2009 himself. More information has been revealed now. 

As evident from the name, RCE is a type of hack that allows a malicious actor to gain access to machines from remote locations. This means Destroyer2009 had free access to computers during ALGS, installing cheats into Genburten and ImperialHal’s computers. While he used it to install cheats, RCE is actually pretty dangerous and puts your privacy at risk. 

It was suspected that Destroyer2009 hack RCE was executed through the game’s anti-cheat, but Easy Anti-Cheat has finally responded. 

https://twitter.com/TeddyEAC/status/1769725032047972566

What engine does Apex Legends run on?

Apex Legends runs on Valve’s Source engine. 

While RCE could very well be Destroyer2009’s mode of hacking, Easy Anti-Cheat has assured that there’s no “RCE vulnerability in EAC being exploited.” This has led Apex community figures to believe that the Source engine could be the culprit here. 

Source engine could have allowed access to computers of pro players, according to ACPD account on X. To execute this theatric, the hacker didn’t really need kernel anti-cheat, but a Steam friend request or invite could have also done the job. Since Apex runs on Source, it’s possible that this was the case, but some players are still cursing the anti-cheat. However, it’s tough to pinpoint the cause as of now. 

Is Apex Legends safe to play?

Pro players and community figures are advising against playing Apex Legends, which is still vulnerable. It’s best to step away from the game until EA publishes a clear statement regarding Destroyer2009. 

The pro players have also advised players to reinstall Windows or do a cleanup. Many have already started acting on the wise words and uninstalling Apex for the time being.

Fariha Bhatti Fariha Bhatti
About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

View full profile
Read Also
EWC officially heads to Paris for 2026 as early reports confirmed Esports Betting
EWC officially heads to Paris for 2026 as early reports confirmed Michael Hassall The Esports World Cup 2026 will take place in Paris, France from July later this year as per an new announcement by the EWC organizers, the Esports Foundation. Revealed in a post on their official social media, and an accompanying release and blog post, the announcement confirmed earlier speculation that the event would move location due to the “regional situation” around Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Here’s the info: The Esports World ...
iiTzTimmy starts seven-game FPS challenge on Twitch Twitch
iiTzTimmy starts seven-game FPS challenge on Twitch Khizar Mundia Timothy “iiTzTimmy” has just started a new FPS challenge where he has to play seven different first-person shooters, and the streamer has begun with a bang on Twitch. iiTzTimmy is a well-known name in the Apex Legends scene because of his stint as a professional player and remarkable solo mode gameplay. He has since transitioned to streaming, but the American is still known for Apex Legends, mainly because the streamer ...
What is ordnance in Apex Legends? Apex Legends
What is ordnance in Apex Legends? Olivia Richman Team fights are core to Apex Legends, and ordnance can make or break these intense clashes. While Apex Legends may not be as popular as it once was, the game's colorful lore and fast-paced gameplay have continued to excite battle royale fans. Even as competitors like Marvel Rivals and Valorant continue to grow, Apex Legends maintains a steadfast fanbase. One of the biggest reasons for Apex Legends' success is its ...
Apex’s Bloodhound and Fuse are getting married; here’s their story Apex Legends
Apex’s Bloodhound and Fuse are getting married; here’s their story M Alzamora Someone grab the confetti! It looks like Bloodhound and Fuse may be the first characters in the Apex Legends universe to get married in-game. Although Apex Legends is considered by some to be a dying game, the team still seems to be putting effort into storylines between Legends. Bloodhound and Fuse are two of the many playable characters, each with their own skill set. Bloodhound is a recon character, able ...
Did Apex Legends rank reset come early? Apex Legends
Did Apex Legends rank reset come early? William Davis Respawn recently shipped significant changes to Apex Legends rank reset, but the duration of each split remained the same. However, that’s not the case for players who have lost their ranked progress in Apex Legends Season 22. Apex Legends is no stranger to progress lost bugs. All in-game items and ranked progress were wiped out in April in a game-breaking bug. While everything was restored, the bug caused a lot ...
Here’s how Apex Legends rank rest work in Season 22 Apex Legends
Here’s how Apex Legends rank rest work in Season 22 Syed Mujtaba Naqvi Impactful changes to legends and ranked play are coming in Apex Legends Season 22. The latest update to Apex Legends dubbed the "Shockwave" patch, brings with it a significant overhaul to the game's ranked play system. The new season reset rules aim to provide a more balanced and competitive experience for players of all skill levels. Previously, Ranked underwent a complete reset at the start of each season and a ...
Apex Legends player count drops, Steam reviews remain negative Apex Legends
Apex Legends player count drops, Steam reviews remain negative Fariha Bhatti Apex Legends players are concerned as the game declines both in popularity and player count. Respawn's Season 22 changes to Apex Legends battle pass had left players with a sour taste. Eventually, the developer reverted those changes, allowing them to purchase the battle pass with their hard-earned Apex Coins again, but that's something that has left them with a grudge. Despite the run back, the Apex Legends Steam page is ...