{
  "id": 9360821,
  "title": "\"This one is especially bad\": Steam game about mistreating ragdolls suffers second bout of mod-based malware this year",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/this-one-is-especially-bad-steam-game-about-mistreating-ragdolls",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-23T15:09:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Rock Paper Shotgun",
    "slug": "rock-paper-shotgun",
    "url": "https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/this-one-is-especially-bad-steam-game-about-mistreating-ragdolls-suffers-second-bout-of-mod-based-malware-this-year"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "People Playground, a Steam sandbox game about tormenting ragdolls, has once again faced a malware attack via a malicious mod on its Steam Workshop. Developer Mestiez disabled the Workshop, urging players to run anti-virus scans and refrain from playing until they receive confirmation that it's safe. This incident marks the second time in a year that People Playground has experienced a malware attack through a Steam Workshop mod. Players who engaged with mods between 6PM and 8PM CEST on September 21st are specifically advised to run scans and delete all mods before attempting to play again. Mestiez has assured that the malware doesn't steal passwords or credentials but may still cause significant damage to personal data, Steam configuration, and cloud data. The developer expressed frustration over the speculation surrounding the source of the malware and emphasized that Mestiez bears sole responsibility for the incident.",
  "summary": "People Playground, a Steam sandbox game about torturing or otherwise messing with innocent ragdolls that work like crash test dummies, has had its Steam Workshop disabled over a \"malicious mod\" peddling malware. That's according to the game's developer Mestiez, who's urging anyone who played the game with mods on September 21st to run virus scans and has told everyone not to fire People…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}