Referee Levels Up

Read more about our new approach to detecting and deterring hackers & cheats.

Tl;dr:

• Hundreds of new cheat-detection signals added to Referee 
• Auto-blocking is now way more aggressive 
• Over 700 hacking attempts blocked last month alone 
• Hacking reports down 70% since Nov 1 
• New server-side systems let us patch and respond faster than ever

Hacking and cheating plague online games. And it sucks when one hacker ruins the experience for everyone else. Over the past few months, we’ve been quietly rolling out major improvements to Referee, our custom cheat- detection system built specifically for Rec Room. Alongside this, we’ve deployed a suite of new server-side protections that stop attacks before they can reach you.We want to share what we’ve changed, how it’s already improving experiences in Rec Room, and what comes next.

Referee - Smarter, Stricter, FasterEarlier this year, we launched the first version of Referee. It was a good replacement for the old system because it was as good as what we had before. But we weren’t satisfied with “as good”. We needed something better, faster and specifically for Rec Room cheats.Our latest update brings major upgrades across the board. We know some of you pay close attention so we’ve listed a lot, but not all, of the changes below (deep breath).More Blocking, Fewer Warnings

• Referee reported and tracked many instances of suspected tampering or malicious behavior in the game client. Now these are auto-blocked. 
• Expect even stricter blocking to roll out in the coming weeks as we continue to dial in accuracy.

Hundreds of new Detection Signals

• We’ve added a massive number of new signals, events, and heuristics giving Referee a much deeper understanding of client integrity and suspicious behavior.

Better Protection Against Third-Party Apps

• After extensive testing, Referee can now reliably identify malicious third-party tools.
• We’ll begin restricting these malicious apps from interacting with the game client in the weeks ahead.

Stronger Anti-Tampering & Hardening

• Fixes for exploits that allowed attackers to modify or hook into game code
• Protections against dumping or abusing Unity/IL2CPP functions
• Hardening Referee itself to reduce reverse-engineering attacks

Quality of Life & Reliability Fixes

• Startup error messages getting stuck behind the splash screen
• Referee service not reinstalling correctly
• Referee service being suspended mid-session
• Multiple instances of the game launching unintentionally

And with real-time update configuration, we can now push smaller cheat-detection tweaks without waiting for app updates - meaning faster patches and fewer exploits that linger between releases.

Server Side Protections: Stopping Attacks Before They ImpactClient detection is important, but still carries risk. So to complement all of the Referee work, we’ve significantly expanded what the server can instantly detect and block.Some highlights include:

• Instant bans for attempts to teleport players, crash rooms, or spawn content where it doesn’t belong
• Room specific integrity checks (yes, that means no more Draculas outside of ^Crescendo)
• Automated systems that identify new attack vectors faster than ever

In the last 30 days alone, we’ve blocked and banned over 700 hacking attempts. And since November 1, player hacking reports have dropped by 70% - one of the lowest rates we’ve seen all year.

What’s NextSecurity work never truly ends. Bad actors will look for new holes and we’ll keep closing them. But today, we’re operating with stronger tools, faster response times, and far better visibility than ever before - on the client and the server.More improvements are already in development and you can expect:

• Quicker responses to new exploits
• More automatic blocking instead of manual review
• Continued hardening of critical game systems

Thank you for your patience, your reports, and your support. None of this progress would be possible without you. Here’s to a safer, more secure Rec Room. [|=)]