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Bandai Namco, the publisher of Elden Ring, has reportedly been the victim of a ransomware attack. The group behind the attack, apparently, is ALPHV ransomware group.
This is according to vx-underground (via VGC), which tracks malware source code, papers, and samples:
“ALPHV ransomware group (alternatively referred to as BlackCat ransomware group) claims to have ransomed Bandai Namco. Bandai Namco is an international video game publisher. Bandai Namco video game franchises include Ace Combat, Dark Souls, Dragon Ball*, Soulcaliber, and more.”
Ransomware has its name because hackers use it to extort victims. The perpetrators will obtain and block the victim’s access to their own data. And then will threaten to release the data publicly, which, for game publishers, could potentially compromise future projects.
Just last year, in February, CD Projekt Red fell victim to the same kind of attack. The company released a statement to Twitter, saying that it was able to recover from the attack:
“Although some devices in our network have been encrypted, our backups remain intact. We have already secured our IT infrastructure and begun restoring the data.”
In that instance, the hackers dumped full copies of the source for various CD Projekt games—Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, and Gwent: The Witcher Card Game.
