If you play Borderlands 2 on the Xbox 360, you may want to think twice before hopping into a public co-op game with people that you don’t know.

Earlier today, developer Gearbox Software made users aware of a very nasty hack that could result in the total deletion of your save, and your character along with it. The hack, which involves the use of third-party programs, only impacts Xbox 360 users.

Gearbox has submitted a patch that address the hack to Microsoft, but there’s currently no word on when that will be released.

“After extensive internal testing, an update to prevent this disruption has been submitted to Microsoft and will be released as soon as possible,” Gearbox wrote on their forums. “Until then, concerned Xbox 360 players of Borderlands 2 should consider playing online with trusted individuals in non-public sessions. This does not affect players on PC or PlayStation 3.”

If you do find yourself in a public game for some reason or another, Gearbox released a few tips that may help you keep your save intact. No guarantees, though.

“We also advise that before ceasing play, users always select “Save and Quit” from within the pause menu while their character is alive,” Gearbox explained. “If after the death of their character players find themselves at the main menu of Borderlands 2 instead of respawning in-game, be sure to immediately select “Continue” to resume playing as that character.”

If you spot any suspicious behavior while playing Borderlands 2, Gearbox recommends that you drop a line to spotted@gearboxsoftware.com. Be sure to include as much detail and documentation as possible.

‘Borderlands 2′ Hack Can Sabotage Character Saves is a post from: The Inquisitr