Popular Cities Skylines 2 traffic mod may contain a malicious file, Paradox warns

If you downloaded one of the most popular City Skylines 2 mods, which adds new tools for managing traffic, Paradox warns that the mod may contain a file that is considered malicious. In an official statement, the publisher of Crusader Kings, Stellaris and CS2 explains that a “third party” updated a mod simply called “Traffic” and that the update apparently contained a file that could compromise the security of players’ computers. Paradox states that it has already removed the file in question, but if Cities Skylines 2 mods were set to “sync” and therefore automatically received the potentially malicious file, there is a possibility that it may be present on their systems.

Cities Skylines 2 mods have changed the city building game, making vital changes to the simulation, economics, and road building. Traffic is one of the most comprehensive mods for Cities Skylines 2, adding lane connections and priority tools so players can more efficiently manage the flow of vehicles through their cities. However, Paradox is now warning that if players have used this mod in recent days and automatically received the updated version, a malicious file may have been installed on their computers.

“There is a potential security issue affecting the Traffic mod for Cities Skylines 2,” Paradox reports. “Late Monday, a third-party entity published an update to the mod that includes a .dll file that we believe is malicious. We have already removed it and the current version as of Thursday 31 October 15:35 CET is safe to download and use, but if your mod is synced and you played the game using the mod between Monday and then, there is there is a chance that you may have a malicious file. We are working to determine the nature of this .dll and will update you as soon as possible.”

Paradox says that unless you played CS2 with the Traffic mod, signed up, and downloaded it, your computer should not be at risk. The publisher also says that if you have the Traffic mod, but haven’t played Cities Skylines 2 since Monday, October 28, or haven’t automatically updated the mod between that date and today, if you allow the mod to update now, it should load the safe version with a potentially malicious file removed. In any case, Paradox recommends that all players scan their computers with antivirus software.

“If you played using a vulnerable version, check your local files,” says Paradox. “If you have any malicious files installed, you will find them here: %localappdata%low\Colossal Order\Cities Skylines II\.cache\Mods\mods_subscribed\ inside folder 80095_13

“Please note that malicious files will only be contained in the 80095_13 folder.. If you don’t see this folder, it means you don’t have a hacked version of the mod. If you find this folder, use an antivirus or antimalware program to quarantine and/or remove it from your system, and run a thorough scan of your drives. As a precaution, we recommend changing your passwords.”

Paradox says it checks all files uploaded to Paradox Mods for unexpected updates to other files. The publisher also contacted the creator of the Traffic mod, who updated it to a safe version. As an additional precaution, Paradox Mods will now send updates to modders whenever one of their mods is updated, so they will be immediately aware of any unexpected updates.

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