Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt hit by ransomware attack
Hackers claim to have accessed unreleased Witcher 3 source code and threaten to leak it unless a payment is made
CD Projekt, the developer behind games such as Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher, has fallen victim to a cyber attack that saw hackers access its internal network and threaten to leak sensitive data.
The Polish games company confirmed on Twitter that a portion of its internal systems had been compromised, with hackers obtaining company data as well as encrypting a number of developer devices.
In a ransom note shared by the company, the hackers claimed to have accessed source code for games including Cyberpunk 2077, Gwent, and an unreleased version of The Witcher 3, and threatened to leak it unless a payment was made.
They also managed to obtain documents containing accounting, administration, legal, HR, and investor relations information.
A CD Projekt spokesperson told IT Pro that they are not able to provide further information on the impact of the attack on future game development or the sum requested in the ransom. However, the company made it clear that they were not intending to give in to the hackers' demands.
“We will not give in the demands nor negotiate with the actor, being aware that this may eventually lead to the release of the compromised data,” it said, noting that it is still investigating the attack and has “already approached the relevant authorities, including law enforcement and the President of the Personal Data Protection Office", which is the Polish equivalent of the ICO.
RELATED RESOURCE
In the statement, CD Projekt added that it has secured its “IT infrastructure and begun restoring the data” from backups and that no customer data was impacted by the attack.
ESET cybersecurity specialist Jake Moore said that it seems as if CD Projekt had “the correct protocol in place to withstand such demands and upheaval”.
“All good businesses have critical redundancies in place to mitigate the risk and this can only be truly simulated by testing the backups regularly and red teaming the company. We, unfortunately, live in a world where very little remains untouchable but the forward-thinking decision-makers understand this risk and spend money and time in reducing the impact,” he added.
The attack on CD Projekt comes after three other major gaming developers were targeted in the last few months. Ubisoft and Crytek were hit by the Egregor ransomware gang in October 2020, while Capcom fell victim to the Ragnar Locker group a month later.
-
Security experts weigh in on motivation behind Stryker cyber attackNews The attack on medical tech company Stryker has severely impacted operations globally
-
The rise of PhaaS: what businesses should knowIn-depth With phishing as a service (PhaaS) on the rise, which new kits should firms know about and how can leaders avoid being caught out?
-
The rise of teen hackers ‘makes for a good headline’, but cyber crime activities peak later in lifeNews With family responsibilities and mortgages to pay, it's not teenagers dishing out malware or carrying out cyber extortion
-
Ransomware gangs are using employee monitoring software as a springboard for cyber attacksNews Two attempted attacks aimed to exploit Net Monitor for Employees Professional and SimpleHelp
-
Ransomware gangs are sharing virtual machines to wage cyber attacks on the cheap – but it could be their undoingNews Thousands of attacker servers all had the same autogenerated Windows hostnames, according to Sophos
-
Google issues warning over ShinyHunters-branded vishing campaignsNews Related groups are stealing data through voice phishing and fake credential harvesting websites
-
The FBI has seized the RAMP hacking forum, but will the takedown stick? History tells us otherwiseNews Billing itself as the “only place ransomware allowed", RAMP catered mainly for Russian-speaking cyber criminals
-
Everything we know so far about the Nike data breachNews Hackers behind the WorldLeaks ransomware group claim to have accessed sensitive corporate data
-
There’s a dangerous new ransomware variant on the block – and cyber experts warn it’s flying under the radarNews The new DeadLock ransomware family is taking off in the wild, researchers warn
-
Hacker offering US engineering firm data online after alleged breachNews Data relating to Tampa Electric Company, Duke Energy Florida, and American Electric Power was allegedly stolen
