Overwatch hacker facing possible jail time for selling illegal programs

A South Korean Overwatch hacker is facing possible jail time after violating the Game Industry Promotion Law and Information and Communication Technology Protection Law, which can warrant a maximum punishment of two years in jail and a $18,000 fine.

Although companies are doing their best to punish hackers for illegal activities like violating terms of service or pirating games, the issue seems to be more rampant in South Korea, where serious money can be made from illegal programs (boosting, match-fixing, and hacking) encouraging players to cheat. 

As reported by Dot Esports, the 28-year old hacker was given a suspended one-year prison sentence and two years' probation after collecting a large sum of money for selling an illegal program. These programs are usually accessed through gaming cafés, making it a challenge to track accounts since it seems cheaters would create new Battle.net accounts after being banned. 

An update released in 2017 made it harder to cheat undetected in South Korean gaming centers, with Blizzard requiring players to enter a Korean social security number in order to log into Overwatch without a license. If a player wanted to use a foreign Battle.net account, they would need a paid license to access the game. 

Blizzard Entertainment has reportedly been working with the Seoul National Police Agency's cyber security department to catch illegal program developers in South Korea. 

Two other Overwatch hackers were sentenced earlier in the year, with one receiving two years probation and the other being fined $10,000. 13 hackers and match-fixers were also arrested back in January by South Korean police, but the remaining 10 are still waiting to be sentenced.