http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=11913
Half Life 2 source leak confirmed - Oops! Or maybe it's a marketing wheeze
By INQUIRER staff: Friday 03 October 2003, 09:56
GABE NEWELL has made an official statement about the rumoured leak of the Half Life 2 source code here.
Apparently, someone has been sniffing around Valve Software and the source code was downloaded directly off of Valve computers. This appears to have been a targeted attack at Valve, as it exploited a vulnerability in Outlook (vulnerabilities in Microsoft software? Heaven forbid!) and installed a keystroke recorder on individual systems. In addition, Gabe’e e-mail has been accessed several times since September 11th, 2003.
While the source code does not include the full game, the source code of the engine can be examined to create exploits in the game. Speculation is running rampant about Steam’s ability to detect hacks, but finding work-arounds with the source code is much easier than trying to decipher compiled information.
There are also components to the source code that reveals new weapons, and work already completed on several mods. While some people might think, "big deal", there is a high stakes game happening this fall with several prominent titles vying for the gamers dollar. This is a painful blow to Valve. µ