Police bust cheat scheme targeting Genshin Impact

Police in Xuhui District say they have cracked down on software cheats targeting the hit Genshin Impact game.

The suspects are said to have developed a plug-in program that could manipulate in-game values, leading to serious disruptions such as the deletion of critical items in the game, characters being repeatedly "killed," and even causing the game to freeze or crash.

The program has affected more than 20,000 players and caused losses of over a million yuan (US $139,000) for the game's developer, miHoYo.

A leading gaming company based in Shanghai, miHoYo is known for a number of popular titles, including Genshin Impact, Honkai Gakuen 2, and Honkai: Star Rail.

After the company reported the incident to the police in April, officers in Xuhui identified suspects surnamed Zhang, Lan, and Xiao. They had developed the cheat program, and spread it through an online chat group of over 360 members.

The three were arrested in May on charges of sabotaging computer information systems. The case remains under investigation.

According to Zheng Qian, head of the cybersecurity branch of Xuhui police, the suspects did it just for fun.

This wasn't the first collaboration between miHoYo and Xuhui police. In 2023, they cracked a piracy operation involving counterfeit merchandise worth over 100 million yuan.

Luo Xi, director of intellectual property at miHoYo, said the company had established an ongoing communication mechanism with the Xuhui police, which had significantly improved the efficiency of their joint investigations.

"With the rapid growth of the gaming industry in recent years, our company has faced increasing threats from illicit and criminal online activities," Luo said. "Cheating software not only undermines fair play and player experience, but also causes direct and significant financial losses."

She said the police's quick action had helped create a healthy business environment for the company.

The crackdown is part of a broader effort by Shanghai authorities to build a business-friendly environment.

Xuhui District is home to startups, tech firms and several leading gaming companies, including miHoYo, Lilith Games, and Hypergryph. In response to the needs of such enterprises, local police have working hard to detect and prevent crimes involving intellectual property violations and cyberattacks. It has also conducted training sessions to improve cybersecurity awareness.

Yan Yijun, vice president of public affairs of MiniMax, an artificial general intelligence company based in Xuhui, said cybersecurity issues can severely disrupt a company's R&D efforts. "Thanks to Xuhui's cyber police, we can focus on innovation. That's the greatest support we could hope for," Yan added.

Xuhui is not the only district in Shanghai that uses technology to help companies grow. In the Pudong New Area, police are supporting the development of autonomous driving technology.

Pudong is a pioneer in autonomous driving in China with more than 1,500 kilometers of open test roads. Apart from driverless cars, the area is home to various autonomous vehicles designed for logistics, sanitation, and patrols.

To ensure real-time monitoring of the cars, Pudong traffic police have built two advanced remote management platforms in Lingang and Jinqiao. These platforms allow police to track vehicles live and intervene when needed. If a vehicle shows signs of malfunction, the police can remind car makers to issue emergency stops or reroute vehicles in time to avoid accidents.

In the first quarter of this year, Pudong's traffic police also began sharing real-time data from 175 traffic signals with carmakers via cloud technology.

"This helps companies use signal data to enhance navigation," said Shi Yinghua at Pudong traffic police.

He said the police are now working on an online platform to streamline the license plate application process for autonomous vehicles, replacing the current paper-based system.