User:Sitzkrieg/Sandbox/Source code
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This page will not discuss methods of acquiring or distributing the illegally leaked source code. It will only cover general information about the leak.
On April 21st 2020 the source code for many Source Engine games was leaked. Team Fortress 2 was no exception to the leak, as it contained a complete early-2016 build of TF2. The specific leaked build was from the major Tough Break update.
RCE Scare
When news of the April 2020 leak initially broke, fear, confusion, and worry was spread throughout the community from a speculated vulnerability discovered in TF2's source code that could potentially allow for RCE (Remote Code Execution). This caused many players to not play during this time until it was deemed safe to play again. Some media figures within the community warned that only valve servers were effected, while other TF2 media sources claimed all servers were effected. The RCE vulnerability was discovered to have never existed in the first place.
Media Response
Within weeks after the April 2020 leak, media figures within the community began auditing the source code. During this time the "spaghetti code" rumors of TF2 were found to be verifiably true.
On social media websites, forums, and video sharing platforms, comments within the source code received the most media attention. This was due to the comical nature of emotions expressed by the developers. The developers expressed frustration, confusion, and anger throughout many of the comments.
Cut Content
Many speculated-to-exist assets and features were discovered by the source code leak.
