What is SKG's response to the cybersecurity issue?

Question

Haven't seen this covered/addressed much in the SKG space. As a skeptic (not outright opponent) of SKG, and with a background in cybersecurity, I can't help but hone in on the gaps that could be created as a result of code bases being potentially accessible to anyone.

I believe the intent of SKG is noble: to ensure that games are made available and accessible to consumers for as long the consumers want to use them. However, there's no getting around the fact that this can create gaps in security, and create opportunities for malicious actors to exploit those gaps. This is especially applicable to multiplayer games where custom/private servers would become far more prevalent.

The specifics/severity of what these potential exploits would be is of course up for debate, though it will likely be a "devil is in the details" situation. Raising this concern is not to say that SKG ought to throw in the towel or that the movement is fundamentally corrupt, thought to dismiss this concern, I believe, would be foolish and short-sighted. There's no denying that the SKG initiative would result in security upkeep being off-loaded to the consumer, whereas currently it is on the shoulders of the developers.

If this movement is to succeed, I don't think it should ignore the issues it could create, unintended as they may be.

Posted Sep 2, 2025, 3:29 PM UTC

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