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takyon writes:

Roblox[*] blames 'gang rape' on hacker adding code to game

A popular children's video game has blamed a virtual "gang rape" on a hack of its systems. Amber Petersen's seven-year-old daughter was playing Roblox, when [her online avatar] was attacked by two male characters staging violent sexual acts.

The firm said the incident was caused by an attack on one of its computer servers that has been dealt with. But experts have cautioned parents not to let young children play online without supervision. They warn it is unlikely this will be the last time such a hack occurs.

After Ms Petersen witnessed the attack on her family iPad, she posted screenshots and an account of the event on her Facebook page, detailing the experience. Ms Petersen said that when her daughter had asked what was happening on the screen, she had viewed a "horrific" scene of her child's avatar being sexually assaulted by two male characters. Towards the end of the incident, she said, a third, female character interfered by jumping on the victim's body.

The BBC understands that the hacker responsible managed to subvert the California-based company's cyber-protection systems, allowing them to upload code that changed the game's rules and made customised animations appear. Roblox previously confirmed that it had identified the account responsible and blocked it from its platform.

[*] From the company web site, Roblox:

Roblox is the best place to Imagine with Friends. With the largest user-generated online gaming platform, and over 15 million games created by users, Roblox is the #1 gaming site for kids and teens (comScore). Every day, virtual explorers come to Roblox to create adventures, play games, role play, and learn with their friends in a family-friendly, immersive, 3D environment.

A victim of dank memes? Or the powerful scripting system?

Original Facebook post. Also at TechCrunch and The Washington Post.

Original Submission

1. "takyon" - https://soylentnews.org/~takyon/
2. "Roblox[*] blames 'gang rape' on hacker adding code to game" - https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44875920
3. "and blocked it from its platform" - https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44697788
4. "Roblox" - https://www.roblox.com/
5. "dank memes" - https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/roblox-gang-rape
6. "scripting system" - https://www.reddit.com/r/KotakuInAction/comments/8vv8ik/roblox_gang_rape_shocks_mother_top_article_on_the/e1qyc8a/
7. "Facebook post" - https://www.facebook.com/amber.petersen.94/posts/10160841097915268
8. "TechCrunch" - https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/18/roblox-responds-to-the-hack-that-allowed-a-childs-avatar-to-be-raped-in-its-game/
9. "The Washington Post" - https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/07/17/roblox-an-online-kids-game-explains-how-hack-allowed-characters-virtual-rape/
10. "Original Submission" - https://soylentnews.org/submit.pl?op=viewsub&subid=27950

printed from SoylentNews, Roblox Blames Virtual "Gang Rape" on "Hacker" on 2024-04-25 16:01:45