Red Alert!
The game studio behind ‘Cyberpunk2077’, CD Projekt Red has been hacked.
The owners issued a statement on Twitter noting that their company has been the victim of a cyberattack. The game studio behind AAA titles such as ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ and the ‘Witcher’ series are dealing with a ransom note from a digruntled criminal hacker. Their brave response includes releasing details of the hack to the public on twitter.
Ransomware
CD Projekt Red’s drives are now encrypted and being held to ransom after being hacked. The perpetrators now have copies of the source code for Cyberpunk 2077 and documents from their HR department. Their threats to the game developers include making the source code public and refusing to decrypt their valuable work. This is forcing them to restore everything from backups which they, fortunately, have to hand thanks to good cyber security awareness.
Victims
This seems pretty bad for CD Projekt Red, not to mention the innocent employees who are in the firing line. Imagine strangers getting hold of your HR files and having a read through your incident book. Not very pleasant to say the least, is it? Also, this highlights the importance of privacy and this attack is certainly a breach of it.
The Note
The note reads:
The language suggests the culprit is perhaps not a native english speaker or is quite young. However, this may be a double bluff to throw investigators off the scent; a common tactic adopted by social engineers with experience. In spite of this, it seems like CD Projekt Red are not going to cave in to the demands and does not believe any personal data of players or service users has been compromised.
Mystery
Although we know ‘CD Projekt Red hacked’ is the title for this post, it is yet unclear how the actors have now got access to their network. However, Sencode will be keeping a close eye on this one as it develops. We have no doubt a thorough investigation is already in motion by CD Projekt Red, and they are fighting back hard. Their initial response to this incident has been exemplary and will help researchers understand these kinds of crimes. Ultimately, their brave stance will potentially help other victims in future.
In the meantime, if you have concerns about your security posture, do not hesitate to get in touch with us. We are always happy to help.
Author: Matthew Protheroe-Hill on 9th February 2021