No one would dispute the fact that data breaches in the gaming realm are burgeoning as one of the most unsettling factors menacing gaming studios. Big titles and studios have been grappling to bring off the mighty achievement for the fans before it gets ephemeral. In a disturbing turn of events, the notorious ransomware group Rhysida unleashed a huge wave of threats against Sony’s biggest gaming studio, Insomniac Games.
The group entreated a whopping sum of 2 million dollars not to reveal confidential data they had pilfered from the studio when they infiltrated its system. In a dark and malicious step, Rhysida substantiated its claims by revealing data online, providing screenshots from the long-awaited Wolverine game.
In an alarming turn of events, Rhysida escalated its admonitions by deploying an auction to sell the stolen data on the darknet, placing the data’s price at 50 bitcoins, equivalent to around $2 million.
As reported by Cyber Daily, Rhysida has now made good on its threat, posting over 1.3 million files totaling a staggering 1.67 terabytes to its darknet site. The bulk of the stolen data, approximately 98%, has allegedly been released, with Rhysida cryptically stating that the “not sold data was uploaded,” suggesting that the remaining 2% may have been sold to an undisclosed buyer.
Social media platforms are abuzz with users downloading and sifting through the exposed files. Among the trove of information are assets and details pertaining to the upcoming Wolverine game, a publishing agreement with Marvel promising future collaborations, and internal HR documents. The leaked documents also reportedly contain information on unannounced games, stretching as far into the future as ten years.
Rhysida’s initial threats included claims of obtaining employee passport scans, a personal document related to Spider-Man voice actor Yuri Lowenthal, internal emails, and confidential documents. The extent of this confidential information within the hack remains unclear, and it is uncertain whether any of it was part of the section potentially sold to another party. The breach has undoubtedly cast a shadow over Insomniac Games, highlighting the growing threat and impact of ransomware attacks within the gaming industry.
