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Malicious C# mods (viruses trojans etc)?

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PocketCity

Second Lieutenant
Feb 16, 2015
132
5
Okay i know i'm a bit paranoid :unsure:, but should I worry about malicious mods with C# code at all?

found it today:
Cities Skylines runs non-sandboxed DLL files as mods. This can be dangerous, so we will be auditing popular mods on the workshop to check for any malicious content and report back on here.
Click to expand...

Not sure if they can check all these 1000 + mods in Steam, this is just crazy... :rolleyes:



So i have a couple of lame questions:

1) Can malicious C# mods (viruses?) harm to my PC or my files outside the game?
2) Can malicious C# mods (trojans?) steal my passwords/accounts data and send them via internet?
3) Is it save to use new buildings/intersections or they can be dangerous too?
4) Can CO devs make mod system more safer to end-user?

:eek: sorry for my English!
 
PocketCity said:
Okay i know i'm a bit paranoid :unsure:, but should I worry about malicious mods with C# code at all?

found it today:


Not sure if they can check all these 1000 + mods in Steam, this is just crazy... :rolleyes:



So i have a couple of lame questions:

1) Can malicious C# mods (viruses?) harm to my PC or my files outside the game?
2) Can malicious C# mods (trojans?) steal my passwords/accounts data and send them via internet?
3) Is it save to use new buildings/intersections or they can be dangerous too?
4) Can CO devs make mod system more safer to end-user?

:eek: sorry for my English!
Click to expand...

Well, considering they are DLL files and coded in C#, I'd suppose:
1. Not likely.
2. Not likely.
3. I'd suppose so.
4. They are. "So we will be auditing popular mods on the workshop to check for any malicious content and report back on here."

Cheers,
Gemspark
 
Devs hold no responsibility to the community as they don't endorse/support any user created mods. They just allow the ability to.
Click to expand...
Erm a very bad attitude. :glare: And this is not about responsibility but about mod system safety.

That's where you can see if mods are safe or not.
Click to expand...
10 audited mods vs 2133 mods in steam... And you can update mod in Steam anytime.
 
PocketCity said:
Erm a very bad attitude. :glare: And this is not about responsibility but about mod system safety.
Click to expand...

Business reasons. So you can't sue them if you destroy your computer.

PocketCity said:
10 audited mods vs 2133 mods in steam... And you can update mod in Steam anytime.
Click to expand...

Buildings and the sort don't have DLLs so it's actually 24 since all DLLs are under that section. And each one is being manually audited.
 
C# programs are fully capable of doing anything they want to, i dont know how Gemspark concludes that they cant do stuff.


in ELI5 terms, dll just means it needs starting by a differen program, but all the mods get started when you load the game automatically, once they get executed, they are in full control and can do anything they want to.
 
Nague said:
C# programs are fully capable of doing anything they want to, i dont know how Gemspark concludes that they cant do stuff.


in ELI5 terms, dll just means it needs starting by a differen program, but all the mods get started when you load the game automatically, once they get executed, they are in full control and can do anything they want to.
Click to expand...

Scary things. :eek: Can my antivirus detect them or it will ignore them as a part of Cities Skylines?
 
HomelandAuteur said:
The mods which use DLLs are under the Mod section of the Workshop. Everything else is either an intersection, zonable, or ploppable item that has been imported into the Asset Editor which doesn't allow for coding of any sort.
Click to expand...


Is it possible to put (or update non-DLL mod with DLLs) DLL mods to the erm... "Everything else" sections? :)
 
So far everything I've had through workshop modwise has the dll and the c# source. I can check and compile the source myself for safety if I wish.

I remember the big Reddit AMA and I asked about this very thing. Nobody answered from CO, the only answer I got was from a couple Reddit guys basically saying I'm an idiot for thinking the mods could have malicious code.
 
PocketCity said:
Scary things. :eek: Can my antivirus detect them or it will ignore them as a part of Cities Skylines?
Click to expand...


AV can detect them, but i would not rely on AV to detect all malicious code, especially if its custom made.
i could make a mod that delets all your save files and game files, not sure if an AV would care.



this is ONLY for the "mod" section, buildings and such seem to be fine
 
Dude, if you're scared of viruses, don't use mods. Quality controlling mods isn't the dev's responsibility, and you shouldn't discourage them from making a moddable game.
 
PocketCity said:
Okay i know i'm a bit paranoid :unsure:, but should I worry about malicious mods with C# code at all?

found it today:


Not sure if they can check all these 1000 + mods in Steam, this is just crazy... :rolleyes:



So i have a couple of lame questions:

1) Can malicious C# mods (viruses?) harm to my PC or my files outside the game?
2) Can malicious C# mods (trojans?) steal my passwords/accounts data and send them via internet?
3) Is it save to use new buildings/intersections or they can be dangerous too?
4) Can CO devs make mod system more safer to end-user?
Click to expand...

1,2. YES. They run under the same previleges as the user. If you can do something without answering a UAC popup - it can do it as well.
3. Only mods in the err.. "mods" section (so things like autosave, first person camera, 25 mod, etc.) can contain DLLs afaik, everything else should be safe.
 
bdew, thanks for the clarification!


Skrelk said:
Dude, if you're scared of viruses, don't use mods. Quality controlling mods isn't the dev's responsibility, and you shouldn't discourage them from making a moddable game.
Click to expand...

Well you cant hurt to me or to my pc with Skyrim or SimCity 4 mods (NAM maybe? but NAM is a very special child :happy:). So this is just a new things for me. :)
 
Gemspark said:
Well, considering they are DLL files and coded in C#, I'd suppose:
1. Not likely.
2. Not likely.

Cheers,
Gemspark
Click to expand...

They can. I just made a proof of concept mod which deletes a folder from my hard drive. With the mod enabled, when you start or load a game, it checks if the folder exists. If it doesn't exist, it creates it. If it does, it deletes it. There is no warning.
 
bdew said:
1,2. YES. They run under the same previleges as the user. If you can do something without answering a UAC popup - it can do it as well.
Click to expand...

Not on Modern Windows it can't - Even if you disable UAC, no application that isn't running on an administration level can start another one with those privileges.
 
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