What Was Stolen in the EA Hack?
Newsprint magazine and website, Vice, was one of the first to report on the major EA hack, where the culprits reportedly got away with 780GB of stolen content. In a statement that was published hours after the breach, an EA spokesperson clarified that player data was not among the valuable information that the hackers were able to get away with. In the same statement, the spokesperson clarified that the company had already started implementing heightened security measures. EA adds that it does not expect the incident to have a major impact on its games or business. 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 an 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. EA is fresh off of a reveal of one of its most highly anticipated titles in years, Battlefield 2042. So, it stands to reason that EA wants to keep negative publicity as far away from the company as possible. However, now that news of the major EA hack has broken out, all that EA can do is to do damage control and minimize any potential damages. With that said, the Frostbite engine source holds a lot of value. Anyone willing to pay to get a copy of it surely has nothing good in mind. For one, access to the source code will make it easier to create hacks and cheat codes for games developed using the same engine. This is why some fans are worried right now. The source code could lead to cheats and hacks taking over Battlefield 2042 once it launches in October 2021.
Major EA Hack Just the Latest in Series of Breaches
Electronic Arts now join the list of high-profile gaming companies that have been targeted by hackers over the past year. In November 2020, Capcom, the makers of the Resident Evil and Street Fighter series of games, fell victim to a ransomware attack. It was reported that the hack led to the exposure of the personal information of as many as 350,000 people. Meanwhile, in February 2021, CD Projekt Red, the studio behind The Witcher series and the much-maligned Cyberpunk 2077 title, experienced a similar attack. The incident also saw hackers steal and auction off the source code of several of its games online. Electronic Arts is expected to hold a video game showcase, EA Play Live, later in July.
