Street Fighter 5 PC Update Raises Security Concerns [UPDATE]
Update: Capcom has announced plans to remove the anti-crack measures it added as part of today's update.
"We are in the process of rolling back the security measures added to the PC version of Street Fighter V," it said in the first of several tweets on the subject.
New content added in the update, such as Urien and more environmental knockouts, will still be available even after this change.
"We apologize for the inconvenience and will have an update on the time-frame for the PC rollback solution soon," it added.
We'll report back as more details are shared.
Original Story: Following the release of a new update for Street Fighter V, PC players are reporting a potential security risk the game currently poses.
As documented on Steam, the game now reportedly requests kernel access, which would allow it to have control over your entire system. Windows' User Account Control system will pop up to notify players about this, asking if the user wants to allow the game to make changes to the PC. This could be problematic not because Capcom itself is likely to begin messing with your system, but because of the chance that a third party could find a way to exploit the game's access.
It's possible this sudden access request is tied to what Capcom described as a "client-side security update" coming as part of today's big September update. "As a part of the new content and system update releasing later today, we're also rolling out an updated anti-crack solution (note: not DRM) that prevents certain users from hacking the executable," it said in a recent post on Steam. "The solution also prevents memory address hack that are commonly used for cheating and illicitly obtaining in-game currency and other entitlements that haven't been purchased yet.
"The anti-crack solution does not require online connectivity in order to play the game in offline mode; however, players will be required to click-confirm each time they boot up the game. This step allows 'handshake' to take place between the executable and the dependent driver prior to launch."
We've contacted Capcom regarding the concerns and will report back with anything we learn.
On Twitter, the official Street Fighter account has indicated it's "currently investigating the issues surrounding the latest update." However, it's unclear exactly which issues it's referencing, as numerous players are reporting trouble running the game. Some players say they're able to after using Windows Vista compatibility mode or uninstalling antivirus software, but no official solution has been offered yet.
