Ethical Hacking News
NationStates, a popular multiplayer browser-based game, has recently confirmed a data breach after taking its website offline earlier this week to investigate a security incident. The breach occurred due to a critical bug in the site's new feature, "Dispatch Search," which was exploited by an unauthorized user who gained remote code execution on the main production server.
NationStates has confirmed a data breach after taking its website offline to investigate a security incident. A critical vulnerability in the "Dispatch Search" feature was exploited by an unauthorized user, resulting in remote code execution on the main production server. The attack exposed email addresses, MD5 password hashes, IP addresses used to log in, and browser UserAgent strings. NationStates will conduct security audits and enhancements, upgrade password security, and report the incident to government authorities. The breach highlights the importance of robust cybersecurity measures, particularly when developing applications that involve user interaction.
NationStates, a multiplayer browser-based game, has recently confirmed a data breach after taking its website offline earlier this week to investigate a security incident. The government simulation game, developed by author Max Barry and loosely based on his novel Jennifer Government, disclosed that an unauthorized user gained access to its production server and copied user data.
The player who discovered the critical vulnerability in NationStates' application code was not a member of staff and had no authorization for server entry or privileged access. This individual, with a history of contributing bug and vulnerability reports to NationStates since 2021, tested the bug but exceeded authorized boundaries, gaining remote code execution (RCE) on the main production server. He then copied application code and user data to his own system.
The breach was caused by a flaw in NationStates' relatively new feature called "Dispatch Search," which was introduced on September 2, 2025. The attacker chained together insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input with a double-parsing bug, resulting in an RCE. This critical bug is the first time something like this has been reported in the site's history.
NationStates stated that the only way to be sure it was secure after the unauthorized entry to the server was to completely hose it and rebuild. The team needs to determine what material was accessed or copied off the server, which may take at least a few days. Once the site is restored, users can check the exact data stored for their nation at https://www.nationstates.net/page=private_info.
The exposed data includes email addresses, MD5 password hashes, IP addresses used to log in, and browser UserAgent strings used to log in. NationStates stated that it does not collect real names, physical addresses, phone numbers, or credit card information.
In the context of the game, a telegram is an internal private messaging system similar to email or forum private messages (PMs). The website is estimated to be back online within two to five days.
NationStates has reported the incident to government authorities and will conduct security audits and enhancements on new hardware. They are also upgrading password security in anticipation of future breaches.
The recent NationStates data breach serves as a reminder of the importance of robust cybersecurity measures, particularly when developing applications that involve user interaction. The attack highlights the need for developers to thoroughly test their code and consider potential vulnerabilities before deploying it.
In conclusion, this article discusses the recent data breach incident at NationStates, a popular multiplayer browser-based game. The breach occurred due to a critical bug in the site's new feature, "Dispatch Search," which was exploited by an unauthorized user who gained remote code execution on the main production server. Users of the website can expect it to be back online within two to five days.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/NationStates-Data-Breach-A-Cautionary-Tale-of-Code-Vulnerability-and-User-Data-Exposures-ehn.shtml
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/nationstates-confirms-data-breach-shuts-down-game-site/
Published: Mon Feb 2 04:20:16 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
