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Dead By Daylight Doxxing Issue

GoodBoyKaru
GoodBoyKaru Member Posts: 22,817
edited November 2021 in General Discussions

Allow me to preface this by saying I am not a cybersecurity expert, nor do I pretend to be. This is based off of my own knowledge around the subject, and if I get something wrong please correct me as this is about player safety.

This is in no way a comprehensive guide, but basic tips you can (usually) easily follow to help protect yourself online.

intro

So, for people who don't know, DBD currently has a security flaw allowing people to track the IP addresses of people they match with, and with that IP address are able to track down personal information (doxxing) or DDOS attack (Distributed Denial of Service attack- where lots of packets of data are sent to the router all at once, causing it to overload and in some cases fry completely) you. This flaw was discovered on the PTB, however can be exploited on live servers too.

Don't believe me? Streamers, especially large streamers, have been getting DDOS attacks incredibly frequently, from Paulie to Otz, and streamer Elix has been swatted live on her stream. DDOS attacks cause your router to slow down drastically, and often kick all devices off of the router.

While waiting for an official statement on this, hopefully along with some upgraded security, here's some things you can do to help prevent this happening, and what to do in case it does happen.

EDIT: We have an official statement from BHVR, as confirmed by @MandyTalk:

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Source

what to do

So, on a PC there's one main thing you can do.

Invest in a VPN

VPN, standing for Virtual Private Network, creates a midpoint between you and the DBD server. Your data is encrypted between your router and the VPN (in most cases), so if it's intercepted then it won't be readable (some of this data including, you guessed it, your IP address). A lot of VPNs can cost money- obviously, if you're only getting it to play DBD, attempt a free trial or get a free one. Don't spend lots of money for a product you're using only to safely play one game.

There are free VPNs, just for the record, which will do the job of changing IP address and preventing DDOS attacks even if they won't provide the snazzy features of other VPNs.

VPNs do not make you completely immune to DDOS attacks, however the VPN will take the majority of the attack, allowing you to potentially stay online even if it is slower.

Change steam networking settings

It is worth noting that the following has no impact on DBD specficially, however could help in other games which do utilise this feature. Thank you to commenter @Austin for mentioning this, as I was relaying information I'd gotten from Twitter. VPNs are your best bet for preventing a DDOS attack from occuring in the first place.

To change these settings, naviate to "Settings" in your Steam client:

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Head to the "In-Game" option:

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And change this option to "Never":

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I don't know any preventative measures on console, however I do know a way to help remedy the situation.

if you get ddosed

Change your IP address

This will (probably) differ between the different ISPs, however changing your IP address can help if people have it and are sharing it. This can be done in a few different ways, so I'll link you to this guide on how to do it:

https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/change-ip-address/

And yes, two of these options do work on consoles too (contacting your ISP, or disconnecting and reconnecting all devices after around 15-20 minutes).

if you get doxxed

Doxxing is the act of publicly revealing a person's previously private personal information.

Firstly, doxxing is a criminal offence (even if some countries don't have regulations explicitly on the subject matter, it can lead to other charges). If you are worried about having been doxxed, contact local police. If you have been threatened with personal information, screenshot and save their account details for use in the police report. They can be tracked down a lot of the time, and you can press charges.

This article by WIRED helps explain what to do if you've been doxxed, with tips from a cybersecurity expert.

https://www.wired.com/story/what-do-to-if-you-are-being-doxed/

TL;DR- Assess if you're mentally ready to deal with it, lock down all socials and other accounts for a while, and report the account used for doxxing to respective sites (as it's often times against their TOS).

There isn't much you can do, but just make sure to keep everything as private as you can.

if you get swatted

Swatting is the act of deceiving the emergency services into raiding someone's location, usually their house, by giving false tips to the staff. This could be something from illegal narcotics to alleged kidnappings. Swatting is also a criminal offence- so if you were doxxed and then swatted, be sure to save the details of the doxxer (do it anyway, but definitely do it here).

I can't exactly give a lot of tips here, however it's worth saying that you should use common sense. If you're being swatted, the emergency services have reason to believe you are potentially dangerous. Do not give them any reason to affirm these beliefs. Try to remain as calm as you possibly can- which of course will not be easy- and explain your situation as clearly as you can.

Remember that your life could potentially be at risk in case of a SWAT. This is genuinely dangerous and it's imperative you keep a cool head and do nothing reckless which could endanger you or others.


Stay safe.

Post edited by GoodBoyKaru on
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