Ubisoft Blunder Gives Away Your IP Address in Rainbow Six
Gareth Andrews / 9 years ago
When it comes to online gaming, every advantage is one that players will often try to use. These advantages can either be an upgraded piece of hardware or a new gaming mouse or keyboard but for some, they will go to extreme lengths, such as using DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks. These techniques are made all that much easier when people know your IP address, something which Rainbow Six: Siege gives them in bundles.
When it comes to communicating on networks, there are two main methods, you can either use a dedicated system where everyone communicates through a central system or you can use peer-to-peer connections where people talk directly to one another. Siege uses the former when it comes to organising matches, with a single player acting as the “hub” for all communications but the game uses peer-to-peer connections “strictly to support voice and chat comms for a team”. The problem being is that peer-to-peer communications allow you to quickly find the IP address of others within the match, including those on the other side.
You can pay people to use their networks and skills to DDoS the opposing team, giving your team a massive advantage in everyone from basic games to competitive matches. Ubisoft has stated that IP protection is “a priority” and while they have made moves to protect your IP there are still signs that using hacking tools can still reveal the full list of IP’s.