The infamous Rhysida hacker group has targeted Insomniac Games, a well-known American video game developer based in California and a part of PlayStation Studios under Sony Interactive Entertainment. This recent attack has raised concerns about the security of Insomniac Games’ upcoming projects, particularly Marvel’s Wolverine for the PlayStation 5.
Threatening the Project: Hacker Group’s Demands
Cyber Daily reports that Rhysida claims to have obtained sensitive information related to the Marvel’s Wolverine game. As proof, the hackers have leaked a screenshot of the game and various art pieces depicting potential Marvel characters in the upcoming release. Additionally, the leaked data includes internal emails, confidential documents, and even employee passport scans. Rhysida now aims to auction this data to the highest bidder, with the starting price set at 50 bitcoin (BTC), equivalent to $2,056,891.
“This group carried out attacks on organizations and companies across several countries. For example, Rhysida previously claimed responsibility for the September attack on the British Library. It stole personal data and posted it online for sale.” – Hacker Group Rhysida
Investigation Underway: Sony’s Response
Sony has responded to the attack, stating that it is investigating the reports of the security breach at Insomniac Games. This is not the first time Sony has faced such a situation, as they previously dealt with a breach in September caused by the ransomware group Ransomed.vc. The consequences of this latest attack on Insomniac Games are yet to be determined, but there is a possibility that it could lead to delays in the development of Marvel’s Wolverine and other projects.
“In the scramble to clean this up and recover, development on Wolverine and other projects could be delayed.” – Forbes
Furthermore, Forbes predicts that this hack will likely result in more leaks surfacing. If the data is purchased by malicious actors, it could be shared further, potentially exposing personal details of affected employees, including their addresses. Unfortunately, this incident is not isolated, as other games like Grand Theft Auto 6 have suffered similar fates in the past.
An Ominous Precedent: Grand Theft Auto 6 Leak
In 2022, the development content of Grand Theft Auto 6 was leaked, causing significant damage to Rockstar Games, Nvidia, and Uber. The responsible party behind the leak was an 18-year-old member of the cyber-crime group Lapsus$. The individual, Arion Kurtaj, inflicted $9.3 million in damages and even attempted to blackmail Rockstar Games by threatening to release the source code for the game. Although Kurtaj was found guilty, there are concerns that he may resume hacking activities after his release from prison.
