Numerous players of the online role-playing game "World of Warcraft" were victims of a "massacre" by hackers who used an in-game exploit.

 

A post by the community manager on the game's forum said the exploit resulted in the "deaths" of player and non-player characters.

 

"Earlier today, certain realms were affected by an in-game exploit, resulting in the deaths of player characters and non-player characters in some of the major cities. This exploit has already been hotfixed, so it should not be repeatable. It's safe to continue playing and adventuring in major cities and elsewhere in Azeroth," it said.

 

It said it is not investigating the incident, and asked players to email hacks@blizzard.com if they have information about what happened.

 

"We apologize for the inconvenience some of you experienced as a result of this and appreciate your understanding," it said.

 

A blog entry on security vendor Sophos's site said the "massacre" of populations of entire cities occurred this weekend.

 

It said the attack killed off characters in cities such as Stormwind, Orgrimmar, Tarren Mill and Ragnaros, "leaving piles of skeletons cluttering the streets and buildings."

 

"Blizzard is likely to ban the culprits if they manage to identify them, and could possibly take legal action if they can prove that financial losses occurred as a result of the hack," it said. — TJD, GMA News