Hackers have leaked confidential data from Sony’s Insomniac Studios after the company failed to deliver on a ransom.
Ransomware group Rhysida has publicly announced it had stolen 1.6 terabytes of data from Sony's Insomniac Games. The hacker group demanded a ransom of $2 million in exchange for the data, but Sony refused to give in to their demands. The hackers then leaked the stolen data to the public, compromising millions of confidential files, which included personal details of developers working at the Studio.
The leak has revealed several Insomniac projects and roadmaps
The enormous leak dealt a significant blow to the studio, as confidential data from several upcoming Insomniac projects and future roadmaps became publicly available. Hackers released around 1.3 million files, which they stole from Insomniac's servers. The leaked data also contained early-stage gameplay footage from upcoming titles and doxxed Insomniac's developers.
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Video game developers appear to be prime targets for hackers
The Insomniac leak occurs amidst a trend in the industry wherein ransomware groups target video game developers and their work. Towards the end of 2022, a similarly massive leak from hackers who attacked Rockstar Games leaked footage of the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6. Bandai Namco and Riot Games were also among the studios that confirmed hacking incidents. Video game developers and journalists worldwide have expressed their solidarity with the Insomniac team. They also voiced their concerns about the increasing rate of ransomware attacks.
Hacker group claims video game developers are an "easy target"
Rhysida, the hacker group responsible for the leak claimed they knew video game developers would be an "easy target." They also claimed they were able to get to the domain administrator in under 25 minutes of hacking the network. It is speculated that the group were also responsible for hacking data from US hospitals in the past. The ransomware group demanded 50 BTC for the files, which equates to around $2 million at the current exchange rate.
Sony is yet to comment on the leak, but is reportedly conducting an investigation. The company paid a hefty price for dismissing the ransomware group's threats, as yet another developer finds their work, and crucially, personal data and financial information, leaked online.
