Can't Hack It Online? HACK It!

As the online gaming community continues to grow, so does the opportunity to cheat.

MSXSecurity.com is an online forum that provides players with cheat software, also known as hacks, which alter the players' abilities to navigate specific games and increase their chances for survival and ultimate defeat.

According to Daniel "Maz" Saltman, owner and founder of MSXSecurity.com, members pay for private VIP access at the site, which allows players to download hacks, such as Solo 2. That particular hack allows gamers to modify play on EA Games' recently released Battlefield 2. Saltman said the staff of three at MSXSecurity.com was able to design a hack for that particular game which is undetectable by PunkBuster, a third-party company that maintains the game's anti-cheat software, within days of the game's release this past summer.

"EA released a demo version of Battlefield 2, which was available for all to download a few weeks before the retail game was out," said Saltman. "It took us around three days to make a hack for the demo."

As EA Games has stated that anyone who cheats on Battlefield 2 will be permanently banned from the game, MSXSecurity.com realized the Solo 2 hack had to be undetectable as a cheat, Saltman said.

The programmers based the hack around a poly-morphing code, so that with each download, Solo 2 changes into a unique cheat, he explained.

"We are only three programmers, but we were able to do what companies with thousands of employees haven't been able to - craft a hack for this game," Saltman said.

Although cheating to some is an ethical question, Saltman believes it enhances the ability of some to enjoy the gaming experience.

"Of course, I myself at one time despised cheaters. It's just something you have to try. If you are into the game for the game play, then maybe it isn't for you," he said. "To me, it's more about the enjoyment of the cheater, not the lack of enjoyment of those who don't cheat."

He said he started the site to share the enjoyment of cheating. The forum now has more than 43,000 members. It provides hacks for a number of multi-player online games, the most popular being Battlefield 2, Counterstrike Source, Counterstrike and America's Army.

At any given time, Saltman said, there are five million people playing these games online. More and more, players are seeking a way to tweak the experience.

"MSX has grown into a home for many people," Saltman said.

For more information, visit the Web site at www.MSXSecurity.com .