X

Among Us hack promotes 'Trump 2020,' forcing developer to issue patch

The hack also threatened to damage phones if people didn't subscribe to a streaming channel.

Abrar Al-Heeti Technology Reporter
Abrar Al-Heeti is a technology reporter for CNET, with an interest in phones, streaming, internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. She's also worked for CNET's video, culture and news teams. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
Expertise Abrar has spent her career at CNET analyzing tech trends while also writing news, reviews and commentaries across mobile, streaming and online culture. Credentials
  • Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has three times been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
See full bio
Abrar Al-Heeti
Among Us

Among Us was the target of a hack.

 Getty Images

Hackers have spammed in-game chats in Among Us, forcing developer InnerSloth to quickly issue a patch. The hack promoted a streaming channel and threatened to damage phones if people didn't subscribe, according to a Friday report by CNET sister publication GameSpot. It also included a "Trump 2020" message. Some players reportedly estimate the hack reached hundreds or perhaps thousands of matches. 

"We're are super duper aware of the current hacking issue and we're looking into it," InnerSloth said in a Thursday tweet. "We will be pushing out an emergency server update so people who are in game will get kicked from games. Please play private games or with people that you trust!!! Bare with us!!"

Among Us, an online multiplayer social deduction game, has seen a sudden rise in popularity lately, with US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez streaming the game on Twitch earlier this week. The stream peaked at 439,000 concurrent viewers, making it the third-highest-viewed single stream in Twitch history.