Unity has found a security vulnerability that has sat dormant for almost a decade: 'Take immediate action to protect your games & apps'

(Image credit: SOPA Images / Getty)

Any games or applications using Unity will need to be patched, the game engine company says, following the discovery of a new vulnerability.

Unity is urging users to update their software as a new security vulnerability has been spotted in Unity versions 2017.1 and later. It's present across versions for Android, Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems.

A worker installs Unity logo at Unity Technologies booth one day before the China Digital Entertainment Expo & Conference (ChinaJoy) at Shanghai New International Expo Center on August 1, 2019 in Shanghai, China.

(Image credit: Visual China Group via Getty Images)

Unity Version 2017.1, as the name implies, launched all the way back in 2017, so this exploit has been there for eight years now.

If you have developed a game or app using version 2017.1 onwards, Unity 'strongly' recommends you "recompile and republish your application." If your app is on Android, its built-in malware scanning and security features will pick up on affected software, and Windows' Microsoft Defender has also been updated to "detect and block the vulnerability." Valve is also adding additional protections against the vulnerability.

If you would prefer not to rebuild projects, Unity has published a tool that patches applications on Android, Windows, and macOS. However, this tool does not work on builds with tamper-proofing or anti-cheat measures, and it doesn't work with Linux either.

Linux still has a high severity on the affected platforms table on Unity's website, but Unity clarifies, "Due to the lower risk profile, Unity has not released a Linux version of the Unity Application Patcher. If desired, particularly in environments with strict access control policies, rebuild your Linux application with a patched Unity Editor to remove the vulnerable code paths."

Sons of the Forest - Kelvin give the palyer a thumbs up — Unity-based games like Sons of the Forest may need to be patched to be fully secure. (Image credit: Endnight Games)

Unity also clarifies "the fix is unlikely to break most games", which sounds less reassuring than might have been intended.

Developers using Unity are being encouraged to inform users to keep devices and applications up to date, as those working off old versions could be vulnerable. It's just good form to make sure software is up-to-date, but it will be particularly important for Unity software going forward.

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James is a more recent PC gaming convert, often admiring graphics cards, cases, and motherboards from afar. It was not until 2019, after just finishing a degree in law and media, that they decided to throw out the last few years of education, build their PC, and start writing about gaming instead. In that time, he has covered the latest doodads, contraptions, and gismos, and loved every second of it. Hey, it’s better than writing case briefs.

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