Yoshi-P’s Warning: Square Enix May Sue Over Stalker Mod, But Ignores Major Security Flaw!

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  • Recently, a FFXIV mod that enables stalking behavior in the MMO was released.
  • FFXIV director Yoshi-P has responded, suggesting Square Enix may take legal action.
  • However, the vulnerability that lets the mod work is seemingly not being addressed.

After several weeks passed since a novel mod for Final Fantasy 14 (FFXIV) appeared, allowing stalker-like behavior, causing concern among many members of the MMO’s community, Square Enix, the game’s developer, has now issued an official statement regarding the issue.

The announcement from the company originates in a post by the popularly known FFXIV director, Naoki Yoshida (often referred to as “Yoshi-P”), on the game’s official discussion board. In this post, he clarifies that Square Enix has recognized the mod and is considering either removing it or taking legal action against it. He also emphasizes to players that the plugin cannot be utilized for gathering personal information and reiterates the studio’s strong opposition towards third-party tools.

We’ve found out that certain external programs are being used to access hidden character details in Final Fantasy XIV, beyond what’s visible during regular gameplay. Our Development and Operations teams have acknowledged this issue and the concerns it has sparked within the gaming community. Using third-party tools goes against the terms of service for FINAL FANTASY XIV, and their usage could potentially put players at risk. We will remain vigilant in our efforts to discourage and prevent such actions.

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In his post, Yoshi-P explains how this mod operates: it gathers your account ID from the Final Fantasy XIV client and uploads it to a database for comparison with characters linked to the same ID. This allows users of the plugin to identify that your additional characters, which may include “alts” made to avoid stalkers in the game, are associated with you. This bypasses one effective method for dealing with stalkers within the MMO.

One important point to mention is that this mod operates due to a vulnerability that emerged upon the release of the Dawntrail expansion last summer. With the arrival of Dawntrail, Square Enix revamped FFXIV’s underperforming blacklisting system by making it so that blacklisting someone would also block them on all their other characters. As you might expect, this new blacklist feature relies on account ID data to function, and the way the developers implemented it unfortunately left it exposed to being collected by third-party mods. In essence: in an attempt to enhance game safety with a more effective blacklist tool, the studio unintentionally made it simpler for persistent stalkers who are willing to install mods to carry out their actions.

As a tech enthusiast and avid Final Fantasy XIV player, it’s disheartening not to find any indications in Yoshi-P’s statement that Square Enix is tackling this glaring issue head-on. This implies that even if the current mod creator decides to take it offline or is compelled to do so due to a lawsuit, there’s no barrier preventing someone else from creating a similar plugin and possibly spreading it with much less public scrutiny. The sentiments echoed by other players are clear; fixing the game to break the mod isn’t on Square Enix’s agenda as suggested in the top comment of a r/ffxivdiscussion post about their response, “It doesn’t seem like they’re considering fixing the game to break the mod.

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A plausible point to consider is that while it might be justifiable for the developer to incorporate an anti-cheat system, it could potentially stir up significant dissent within the Final Fantasy XIV community, who frequently employ useful and benign mods such as damage trackers, cosmetic enhancements, housing decoration assistants, and so forth. Over the years, Square Enix has implicitly allowed these user groups to use in-game plugins without interference, and it’s possible that a strict anti-cheat system could drive away thousands of players from the world of Eorzea permanently if it were to outright ban their usage.

It appears to me that a heavy-handed method might not be the best solution in this case. I suggest Square Enix should revise their revamped blacklisting feature to avoid disclosing account ID information. This modification would not only halt the current mod from functioning, but also hinder future development of similar programs. Such actions as court threats or deletion requests won’t achieve this goal effectively.

Final Fantasy XIV is among the most significant and top-notch Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs) currently available, boasting a captivating “themed amusement park” storyline, a lively universe, and thriving communities for roleplaying, raiding, and other activities. Since I began playing in 2023, it has ranked as one of the outstanding PC games I’ve ever experienced, and with its recent launch on Xbox consoles, it’s also among the notable Xbox games for MMO enthusiasts. The game offers a generous free trial, enabling players to progress through the main game and its initial two expansions without spending a penny; however, you’ll be deprived of additional features such as trading, various chat options, the opportunity to join guild-like Free Companies, and others.

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2025-01-24 22:39