A database with the source code of the video game Cyberpunk 2077 was sold on the Internet to an unknown buyer for an undisclosed amount, according to reports.
After perpetrating an attack ransomware and obtaining copies of the data of the company CD Projeckt Red, a video game studio, the malicious entity threatened to sell the source codes of the games Cyberpunk 2077 , Witcher 3 and Gwent , if they did not reach an agreement within 48 hours.
If this did not happen, they threatened to send the information to specialized journalists in the world of gaming or sell the data. The deadline given by the hacker ended yesterday, February 10, 2021, at night.
As it became known today, the auction for the data was held on Internet forums from of USD 1,000,000. The hackers claimed that they could immediately sell the data if someone offered $ 7,000,000.
The information was shared by the VX Undetground page by a user named redengine , that stated that the hackers had accepted an attractive offer outside the forum and that indeed, the video game data was sold.
Hackers comply threats, apparently
During the attack, hackers They did not specify if they required a payment in bitcoin (BTC) or in another cryptocurrency, such as Monero (XMR), preferred by malicious entities to preserve their privacy. They only asked the company to contact them.
But CD Projekt Red (CDPR) clarified in its announcement that would not address the demands and threats of the malicious entity , assuming responsibility in case the data is leaked or published.
An unidentified entity managed to access our internal network without authorization, collect information about our company and extort money from us ( ransom ). Although some of our servers were encrypted, our backups ( backups ) are intact.
CD Projekt Red.
Unlike most attacks type ransomware , in this case access to files was not blocked forever, which also makes possible the threat of destruction. The fact that CD Projekt Red had a copy of the data involved, shielded it against the potential threat of seeing its files deleted forever.
The developer studio addressed its former employees stating that it had no reason to believe that their personal data had been compromised. Likewise, he recommended that they take security measures. Likewise, they clarified that the players’ personal data had not been violated either.
In the extortion note, the hacker mocked the source code of Cyberpunk 2077 which, since its release, has been questioned for some problems or bugs , leaving some fans somewhat disappointed. “If they don’t communicate, everyone will see their lousy source code,” he wrote.
Interestingly, in recent days a patch was introduced to fix some bugs in the game that made it vulnerable to the action of hackers.
Do players take revenge for bugs in Cyberpunk 2077?
Fabian Wosar, who is considered one of the best specialists in ransomware , pointed out that the group that attacked CD Projekt Red is the same one that, last year, attacked a power plant in Brazil, leaving serious damage according to reports from December 2020.
Wosar, who is also known as the “hunter” of ransomwares , stated that it is absurd to accuse disappointed players as responsible for the attack , and pointed to the group named as “Hello Kitty “as the perpetrators of this infiltration.
Not much information is available regarding ” HelloKitty “ransomware , but it is known to be capable of denying access to files through the Windows API, locking themselves out forever from their owners, BleepingComputer points out.
However, if the source code of the games is published, users could make modifications and alter the game experience, which could have a negative impact on the company, even on its stock market appreciation, something that the hacker takes into account.
In Latin America, Brazil is one of the countries most affected by attacks by ransomware , CriptoNoticias reported in the 2020 count on the incidence of this threat cybernetics. In 2020, Argentina also suffered an attack type ransomware that managed to steal 50 GB from thousands of citizens and residents of that country.
