"Pokémon Go" fans can now use various hacks, bots, and third-party software after a newly developed API, which generates valid hashes to request game data, was reintegrated into various applications that had been blocked or disabled by Niantic since Wednesday last week.
According to Ars Technica, the creation of the unofficial API started with the examination of the updated "Pokémon Go" app. Hackers reportedly cross-examined bits of hidden data, called Unknown 6 (U6), among the long lines of codes in the app.
Their observation was that after the update, API requests that did not send valid U6 data to Niantic servers returned a negative response. This was not the case with the original "Pokémon Go" app, whereby, the field would be left blank and have no effects.
Apparently, U6 data is a hashed encryption of the data collected from the state of the game client, which is altered with each tick of "Pokémon Go's" internal "heartbeat" timer. In theory, only a valid game client possesses that information, making them the only parties who can generate the U6 hash.
That means that other bots and hacks cannot manage to access "Pokémon Go" gaming data from the servers, just like it was the case since last Wednesday. However, after combined efforts of several hackers, the U6 generation algorithm was cracked in three days.
What proceeded was the creation of a new unofficial API that can fetch data just like before, further enabling a "Pokémon Go" player use bots, hacks, and third-party software again. The team responsible for the hack told Ars Technica in an interview that they managed to build the new API by altering the function code and observing the results.
By last Sunday, the team had managed to replicate the U6 encryption function, leading to a new API. Nevertheless, the team did not manage to unlock fully U6's inner execution, which means that Niantic can still use other methods to detect unauthorized "Pokémon Go" bots and third-party applications.
So, if a player decides to use a third-party software that employs the new unofficial API to cheat in "Pokémon Go," they run the risk of being detected. This means that GPS spoofers, together with other cheaters in the game, are still under Niantic's eye view.
According to Malay Mail Online, "Pokémon Go" players, who choose to use bots and hacks, also risk losing their privacy. Such software is said to collect information about users, which may end up putting them at risk.
Meanwhile, as the "Pokémon Go" craze continues, the game itself has set download records with a whopping 75 million people downloading it. Below is a video on more about the new "Pokemon Go" unofficial API: