Electronic Arts, better known as EA, has suffered a security breach. The insanely popular game developer and publisher, has officially confirmed the same. Additionally, independent security researchers claim to have verified the break-in.
EA, the company behind popular games such as Battlefield, FIFA, and The Sims, is the latest victim of what appears to be a cyberattack. Although the company’s data isn’t digitally encrypted yet, hackers have stolen a large amount of sensitive information, including the source code of several games.
Hackers claim “full capability of exploiting on all EA services”:
Reports indicate Electronic Arts suffered a concerning data breach on June 6. The company has reportedly confirmed the security breach. Moreover, CNN Business claims it reviewed online forum posts, and an independent cybersecurity expert has confirmed the same.
Hackers reportedly stole 780GB of data from EA, including the source code for FIFA 21 and the Frostbite Engine. https://t.co/xHUoVNxyi8 pic.twitter.com/fbA8kZTfE5
— IGN (@IGN) June 10, 2021
According to the forum posts, the hackers reportedly made away with 780 gigabytes of data from Electronic Arts. The data includes the source code of Frostbite, a powerful game development engine that powers the FIFA, Madden, and Battlefield series of video games, among others.
EA has been hacked, and the hackers say they've stolen 780GB of data that includes source code for FIFA 21 and the Frostbite engine used in Battlefield. Yikes. https://t.co/as05reYBhL
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) June 10, 2021
Hackers have also reportedly claimed they have access and control of software development tools for FIFA 21 and server code for player matchmaking in FIFA 22. They even boasted about having “full capability of exploiting on all EA services.”
Other stolen information includes proprietary Electronic Arts frameworks and Software Development Kits (SDKs). Essentially, the hackers claim they have bundles of code that can make game development a streamlined, quick, and efficient process.
Confirming the security breach, Electronic Arts has issued an official statement:
EA offered an official statement, which reads: “We are investigating a recent incident of intrusion into our network where a limited amount of game source code and related tools were stolen. No player data was accessed, and we have no reason to believe there is any risk to player privacy.”
“Following the incident, we’ve already made security improvements and do not expect any impact on our games or our business. We are actively working with law enforcement officials and other experts as part of this ongoing criminal investigation.”
'Battlefield' publisher EA says investigating recent data breach https://t.co/VEwYcY1gm3 pic.twitter.com/gsMhRvRKTB
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 10, 2021
This is developing news. According to the recent developments, the hackers have posted a few screenshots. The images indicate the group possesses confidential and sensitive EA data.
Some experts claim the hackers haven’t uploaded any of the stolen data, which includes source code, to any of the forums infamous for hosting such information. Although just speculation at this point, it is quite possible the group is attempting to find a buyer.
EA got hit by a data breach, and hackers are selling source code https://t.co/WVmSdyoaOA pic.twitter.com/O9znv1cKqt
— The Verge (@verge) June 10, 2021
The hackers wrote in one of the posts: “Only serious and rep [reputation] members all others, would be ignored”.
Incidentally, an EA spokesperson has categorically mentioned that the security breach was not a ransomware attack. This means the hackers haven’t digitally encrypted sensitive information and demanding a ransom payment in Bitcoins, to send a decryption key.