Dark Souls 3 Servers Offline Because Of Dangerous PC Hack

Dark Souls 3 might not have garnered the same popularity totals as its two predecessors or the GOTY spin-off(s) that followed. Nevertheless, it showcases the same level of epic storytelling and mechanical depth and polish that FromSoftware is widely known for. Unfortunately, a dangerous exploit is making the rounds, leading to players losing complete control of their PCs. As of right now, the Dark Souls 3 servers are offline as the dev team works to maintain multiplayer security. 

PvP servers for Dark Souls 3, Dark Souls 2, and Dark Souls: Remastered have been temporarily deactivated to allow the team to investigate recent reports of an issue with online services.
Servers for Dark Souls: PtDE will join them shortly.

We apologize for this inconvenience.

— Dark Souls (@DarkSoulsGame) January 23, 2022

According to NME, yesterday (January 23), the official Dark Souls Twitter account posted an announcement (see above) detailing the troubling situation and what actions are being taken to quell the issue. The Tweet reads as follows:

"PvP servers for Dark Souls 3, Dark Souls 2, and Dark Souls: Remastered have been temporarily deactivated to allow the team to investigate recent reports of an issue with online services. Servers for Dark Souls: PtDE will join them shortly. We apologize for this inconvenience."

A follow-up Tweet mentions that this problem is entirely absent from PvP console servers, so Xbox and PlayStation owners have nothing to worry about and were spared the shutdown. NME would go on to state that the exploit, otherwise known as the Remote Code Execution (RCE) hack, allows attackers to "execute arbitrary code on a remote device, meaning they can take control of a player’s PC." It appears as if only a tiny percentage of players know how to employ the hack, so the likelihood of being affected is relatively low. However, PC players are still at risk every time they engage with Dark Souls 3's multiplayer components, so the decision to deactivate PvP seems appropriate.  

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Have you come across the RCE hack in your own playthrough(s)? Is Dark Souls 3 your favorite entry in the franchise? Sound off with your experiences/opinions below. 

[Source: NME]