A bug in the latest patch for Marvel’s Avengers is compromising the online safety of its players by displaying their IP addresses on their screen.
The bug, shown in action by Forbes reporter Paul Tassi on Twitter, displays IP addresses at the bottom of the screen, along with the date, time, and, presumably, the player’s username. At the moment, it is not clear if players can see the IP addresses of other people they’re playing with or if only their information is displayed. Regardless, the bug means that streaming the game as it is right now is extremely dangerous, opening creators up to online attacks or doxxing.
Marvel’s Avengers developer Crystal Dynamics has publicly acknowledged the bug but has not said when it would be fixed. “We’re aware of the issue where a floating string of text appears on the screen and are investigating,” reads a tweet from the official Marvel’s Avengers account. A follow-up tweet has also been posted by the account, warning players to “please refrain from streaming for now if you’re experiencing this issue. We will update when this issue has been resolved.”
Please refrain from streaming for now if you're experiencing this issue. We will update when this issue has been resolved.
— Marvel's Avengers (@PlayAvengers) June 22, 2021
We reached out to Square Enix for comment on this bug, but were directed to the Twitter thread from the Marvel’s Avengers account.
Crystal Dynamics says it is working on solving this issue and will have a hotfix available tomorrow at 8 a.m PT.
“We are currently testing a solution to the issue of personal information, including the player’s IP address and username, being displayed on the screen on PS5, and plan to deploy a hotfix tomorrow at around 8 a.m. PT,” reads a tweet from the official Marvel’s Avengers Twitter account. Crystal Dynamics has also issued a warning saying that PS5 players should “refrain from streaming or posting screenshots online until then, as sensitive information may be displayed.”
Besides inadvertently adding a bug that displays player’s IP addresses on screen, today’s update for Marvel’s Avengers features a new Villain Sector and reduces the number of Heroic Gauntlets players need to complete the Mega Hive. The update also prepares the game for an upcoming event on June 24 called the Cosmic Threat Event.
