Embark Studios Addresses Major Data Exposure in ARC Raiders
Embark Studios recently rolled out a crucial update for ARC Raiders, which addresses a significant data privacy concern raised by tech blogger and systems engineer Timothy Meadows. This unexpected update was initiated in response to an alarming incident where private direct messages (DMs) between two players were inadvertently exposed in a game log file.
Details of the Data Breach
According to Meadows, the issue stemmed from the game’s Discord SDK, which improperly captured not only private messages but also a Discord Bearer token. This incident highlighted an excessive data collection practice by Embark through the ARC Raiders Discord SDK. Fortunately, the company has confirmed the issue has been rectified following today’s update.
Embark’s Response
In communication with players on the ARC Raiders Discord server, Embark emphasized, “The team is also working on a hotfix to address an issue where the Discord SDK logged excessive user information. Rest assured that your private and/or personal data was not sent outside your machine, and Embark has not (and will not) review or keep such information. We will disable the Discord SDK logging and are conducting a deeper audit to ensure no further issues.”
Understanding the Flaw
The underlying cause of this vulnerability lies in the Discord SDK’s integration with ARC Raiders. When users enable the Discord integration, Embark employs the complete Discord Bearer authentication to access data. Meadows articulates the flaw succinctly: “Rather than filtering sensitive events, the SDK logs everything it receives to disk.”This oversight facilitated the unintentional logging of private messages in an accessible format within the game logs.
Tried to report this to @EmbarkStudios but their bug bounty program can’t be found. Just a dead link not listed in the @intigriti catalog. There is a pretty big security issue with @ARCRaidersGame discord sdk integration that’s putting people at risk.https://t.co/slThbz4QuF
— Timothy Meadows ⚛️ (@birdgineer) March 3, 2026
Looking Forward
Fortunately, Embark acted quickly to resolve the situation, demonstrating a commitment to user safety. This incident serves as a critical reminder to all users about the importance of online security and the potential risks associated with data mishandling by the platforms they engage with. As gaming continues to evolve, it is paramount for developers to prioritize user privacy and data protection.
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