Akros reports that joel's cheat had ESP, aimbot, and triggerbot. Player denies accusations
2024-08-08 09:04:00Akros anti-cheat developers shared new details of their ban of the professional CS2 player from BC.Game, Joel "joel" Holmlund. In the message shared by HLTV, they claimed that the detected software had ESP, aimbot, and triggerbot components. The player denied the allegations.
Features include ESP [similar to Wallhack], aimbot and triggerbot. Each feature has additional customization, for the aim assistance and triggerbot, it can be customized to look more human-like and, if not configured poorly, would be completely invisible to the human eye. Not all features need to be used, for example, a player might only use the triggerbot or only use the aimbot or only use the ESP. <...>
The cheat could have been used before without being detected. The fact that we didn't detect its presence in matches prior to August 4 does not prove it wasn't present earlier, as this type of cheat is notoriously difficult to identify.
Akros claimed they were able to locate the software on the web, which puts it into a so-called "public" cheat category. Unlike "private" cheats, they are available to everyone and are easier for AC developers to counter. The developers stated that joel's program "advertised Akros undetection status."
In a comment for HLTV, joel claimed he never cheated or intended to cheat. He stressed several times that it would make no sense for him to break the competitive integrity after the previous suspension for match-fixing by ESIC. He couldn't explain why Akros detected the bootkit on his PC or why it happened right after the anti-cheat update.
know I have not cheated or planned to do so. I love to play the game. If I'm not playing CS2, I'm watching it to become better. To now have people doubting my legitimacy is the worst part. I've seen some people react to my demos; I don't mind if they look for something suspicious since everything I do in-game has its explanation. I've even seen some clips floating around that some say are "sus," while there are Teamspeak recordings of information being said that I react on. <...>
There wouldn't be a reason for me to suddenly turn on cheats, but people don't look at it from different angles and just assume I'm a cheater. I've already proven myself on LAN, even though it was some time ago now, and I can replicate that performance.
Makes no sense on why I would cheat now when I finally have received a chance to redeem myself. I am more driven than ever to play Counter-Strike and compete. My goal has been to reach the top level of the scene and thanks to all the resources I’ve been given in this team, it makes no sense for me to throw it all away by cheating.
Akros's ban restricts joel from participating in any tournament that uses this anti-cheat. BC.Game didn't update on the situation after the HLTV article came out. In their previous statement, they claimed to be "still in the dark" and continue investigating the matter. The player remains benched, and the organization is searching for a "permanent replacement."
Joel was banned on August 4 before the match against B8 at CCT S2 EU #7. The player couldn't join the server because of the anti-cheat that reportedly was updated earlier that day. BC.Game played the first map with a stand-in while GRID was consulting with Akros. Before the second game, they disqualified the player and issued a default loss to his team. Read more details below.
