If you have downloaded one of the most popular Cities Skylines 2 mods, which adds new tools for managing traffic, Paradox warns that the mod may contain a file that is believed to be malicious. In an official statement, the Crusader Kings, Stellaris, and CS2 publisher explains that an “outside actor” updated the mod, simply named ‘Traffic,’ and that the update seemingly contained a file that could compromise the security of players’ PCs. Paradox says that it has already removed the file in question, but that if Cities Skylines 2 had their mods set to ‘synced,’ and therefore received the potentially malicious file automatically, there is a possibility that it may be present on their systems.
Cities Skylines 2 mods have transformed the city-building game, implementing vital changes to the simulation, the economy, and road-building. Traffic is one of Cities Skylines 2’s most comprehensive mods, and introduces a lane connector and priority tools so players can administer the flow of vehicles through their cities more efficiently. However, Paradox now warns that if players have used this mod in recent days, and received the updated version automatically, a malicious file may have been installed onto their PCs.
“There is a potential security issue that has affected the Traffic mod for Cities Skylines 2,” Paradox says. “Late Monday evening, an outside actor pushed an update to the mod, which includes a .dll file which we believe is malicious. We have already removed it and the current version as of Thursday October 31, 15:35 CET is safe to download and use, but if your mod synced and you played the game using the mod between Monday and then, there is a possibility that you may have the malicious file. We are working to determine the nature of this .dll, and we will update you as soon as possible.”
Paradox says that if you have not played CS2 using the Traffic mod and have not subscribed to or downloaded it, there should be no risk to your PC. The publisher also says that if you do have the Traffic mod, but have not played Cities Skylines 2 since Monday October 28, or have not automatically updated the mod between that date and today, if you allow the mod to update now it should download the safe version, with the potentially malicious file removed. Regardless, Paradox encourages all players to scan their PCs using anti-malware programs.
“If you have played using the affected version, please check your local files,” Paradox says. “If you have any malicious files installed, you will find them here: %localappdata%low\Colossal Order\Cities Skylines II\.cache\Mods\mods_subscribed\ inside the folder 80095_13
“Note that it is only specifically the 80095_13 folder that will contain malicious files. If you do not see this folder, you do not have the compromised version of the mod. If you do locate this folder, use an antivirus or antimalware program to quarantine it and/or remove it from your system, and run a thorough scan of your drives. As a precaution, we recommend changing your passwords.”
Paradox says that it is going through all files uploaded to Paradox Mods to check if any others have been given unexpected updates. The publisher has also contacted the creator of the Traffic mod, who has updated it to the safe version. As a further precaution, Paradox Mods will now send updates to modders whenever one of their mods is updated, so they are immediately aware of any unexpected updates.
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