EA Games has apparently been the subject of a massive hacking attempt that’s stolen a wealth of data from the publisher.
As reported by Vice, the hackers claimed responsibility on underground hacking forums, some of which are locked from public view. The hackers claimed to have stolen the source code for FIFA 21 as well as the source code and tools for the Frostbite engine, which is used in a variety of EA games from Dragon Age Inquisition to Battlefield. There’s over 780GB of data altogether, and the group responsible is looking to sell it according to Vice.
EA later confirmed to Vice that the hack did indeed happen, and it was currently investigating the scope and nature of the breach. The good news is that it doesn’t look like any kind of player data was stolen, as EA confirmed in a statement to Vice saying “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.”
The data breach comes hot off the heels of the Battlefield 2042 reveal which, of course, uses the Frostbite engine. It doesn’t sound like the breach will impact games or services in any way, but it’s not entirely clear everything that was stolen.
This year has seen other hacking attempts on game developers, most notably the CD Projekt Red breach that happened in February. That attempt, perpetrated by a group named HelloKitty, stole data and even locked employees out of their workstations for a period of time, which in turn significantly delayed the studio’s work on Cyberpunk 2077 updates. Only time will tell if the EA breach has any kind of similar effect.
