Project Zomboid identifies and bans over a dozen Steam Workshop mods containing 'heavily obfuscated code' that was 'creating malicious files'

Project Zomboid developer, The Indie Stone, has identified and banned 14 Steam Workshop mods containing "heavily obfuscated code" that created malicious files outside the game's directory. This discovery followed player reports of a mod generating malicious code, leading to an investigation that uncovered multiple affected mods from the same user. The mods, primarily sound or music-related, had been installed on 500 to 2200 devices and have since been removed, with the uploader banned. While the exact function of the malicious files is unknown, the exploit specifically targeted players on Project Zomboid's Build 42 (unstable testing release), not Build 41. The Indie Stone strongly advises affected players to take comprehensive security measures beyond simple uninstallation to ensure system safety, providing a list of compromised mods.