Elden Ring Writer Bandai Namco Falls Prey To BlackCat Ransomware Assault

We cowl each ransomware and Elden Ring pretty recurrently right here at HotHardware, however it’s a tragic day when these two issues meet. The ransomware assaults that usually obtain probably the most protection are those who disrupt main provide traces and infrastructure, elevating nationwide safety considerations. However, ransomware gangs perform many different ransomware assaults that don’t trigger the identical stage of social disruption as assaults on main infrastructure, however are nonetheless disruptive to the operations of their victims and stand as a trigger for concern.

On Monday, the BlackCat/ALPHV ransomware group, which is considered a rebrand model of the BlackMatter/DarkSide group that carried out the majorly disruptive Colonial Pipeline assault, printed a discover to its devoted leak site (DLS) naming Bandai Namco as a current sufferer of its ransomware. Two days later, the corporate supplied an announcement to VGC confirming the assault.

Bandai Namco is the Japan’s third largest online game firm when it comes to each income and market capitalization and is the writer of big-name titles corresponding to Pac-Man, Tekken, Darksouls, and FromSoftware’s most up-to-date game, Elden Ring. Neither Bandai Namco nor ALPHV have supplied many particulars in regards to the assault and the info concerned. Ransomware gang’s generally publish a pattern dataset or a view of the file tree, however the ALPHV web site merely states, “Data soon.” The solely data we are able to glean from this message is that the ransomware gang might intend to conduct double extortion by threatening to publicly launch stolen knowledge along with having encrypted a few of Bandai Namco’s laptop techniques.

However, it isn’t solely clear that ALPHV even has encrypted any of the game firm’s recordsdata. Sometimes ransomware gangs select to easily exfiltrate knowledge and threaten to publish it, skipping over the info encryption step, and Bandai Namco’s assertion makes no specific reference to ransomware or disruption attributable to encryption of its laptop techniques. The firm’s assertion as a substitute refers back to the incident as a case of unauthorized entry, however makes clear that an investigation is ongoing, so additional particulars could also be forthcoming. For now, Bandai Namco prospects ought to know that some buyer data might have been caught up within the breach.

The following is the total assertion Bandai Namco povided to VGC: “After we confirmed the unauthorized access, we have taken measures such as blocking access to the servers to prevent the damage from spreading. In addition, there is a possibility that customer information related to the Toys and Hobby Business in Asian regions (excluding Japan) was included in the servers and PCs, and we are currently identifying the status about existence of leakage, scope of the damage, and investigating the cause. We will continue to investigate the cause of this incident and will disclose the investigation results as appropriate. We will also work with external organizations to strengthen security throughout the Group and take measures to prevent recurrence. We offer our sincerest apologies to everyone involved for any complications or concerns caused by this incident.”