Following a high-profile incident earlier this year, Rockstar has updated its PC overlay to prevent the accidental leaking of sensitive player data.

Rockstar Games has quietly rolled out a significant security update that addresses a long-standing privacy concern.

The update targets the visibility of IP addresses and other network information through the company's overlay system on PC.

Malicious parties can use this information to launch targeted attacks, determine someone's approximate location, or even attempt to overwhelm their internet connection with traffic, effectively knocking them offline.

The Rockstar overlay provides features like friend lists, game invites, and achievement tracking. However, its display of network information has long been a point of contention.

A previously unaddressed concern was that the overlay meant that anyone using screen recording or streaming software could inadvertently broadcast sensitive data to their audience.

An incident involving popular streamer, iShowSpeed, is a good example of this. Earlier this year, the energetic internet personality accidentally leaked his IP while streaming Red Dead Redemption 2 to his audiences.

Although we can't say for sure that this was the reason for the update, it couldn't have hurt. By hiding IP addresses and other identifiable network information, Rockstar is protecting the information of its players.

This becomes particularly important as rumors have suggested that Rockstar plans to turn Grand Theft Auto 6 into the next content creator platform, which would mean that Grand Theft Auto 7 probably wouldn't be coming out anytime soon.

For PC gamers, this update should come as welcome news. While console players have generally been more insulated from these types of vulnerabilities due to the closed nature of their systems, PC gaming's open architecture has always presented unique security challenges.

The ability to run multiple programs simultaneously, while great for functionality and customization, also creates more potential vectors for information exposure.

In recent years, Rockstar has moved to beef up the security of Grand Theft Auto on PC, launching features like BattlEye, even if it came at the expense of Linux and Steam Deck users.

Speaking of updates, Rockstar recently took down the Rockstar Games Social Club, months after pulling the plug on user-generated content.