Bandai Namco confirms hacker attack - warns players of possible damage
Created: 07/14/2022, 12:16 p.m
By: Philip Hansen
Bandai Namco has actually been the victim of a hacker attack.
The company has now officially confirmed this and warns players of possible damage.
Update from July 14, 2022:
Now it's official.
"Elden Ring" publisher Bandai Namco confirmed to the online magazine VGC that the company was actually the victim of a ransomware attack.
As the company wrote:
On July 3, 2022, Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. discovered that it had experienced unauthorized third-party access to the internal systems of several group companies in Asian regions (excluding Japan).
Bandai Namco to VGC
After the cyber attack was registered, the publisher took immediate action to avoid damage.
However, "
customer information related to the toy and hobby business in Asian regions (excluding Japan)
" may still have gotten into the hands of the hackers.
According to the publisher, whether this is the case and the extent of the damage after the ransomware attack is currently being checked.
Bandai Namco will continue to investigate the cause of the hacker attack and will now strengthen security throughout the company so that further cyber attacks can be prevented in the future.
"
We sincerely apologize to everyone involved for any complications or concerns caused by this incident,
" the Tokyo-based company said.
Bandai Namco is probably the next victim of a hacker group that has already been blackmailing the USA
First report from July 12, 2022:
Tokyo, Japan – Bandai Namco is said to have become the latest victim of a hacker group that makes millions from extortion.
The video game group is developing for the PS5, for example, but more and more companies and even state authorities are being put under pressure by such ransomware attacks.
How do criminals operate on the Internet?
Who was attacked?
Hollywood portrays hackers as teenagers in hoodies in their children's rooms, but the reality of the 1980s has long been outdated.
Globally operating companies and even official authorities are repeatedly victims of cyber attacks carried out by highly specialized groups.
The latest hack is said to have caught the well-known Japanese game developer around the software group Bandai Namco.
As a publisher, Bandai Namco is best known for video games such as the "Dark Souls" series, "Elden Ring" and games for well-known anime such as "Dragon Ball".
The company also acts as a toy manufacturer and had sales of 6.5 billion euros in 2021.
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Elden Ring: enthusiastic video gamers worldwide in 2022, now the publisher is said to have been hit by a cyber attack © From Software
The blackmailers are said to be:
The cyber attack on Bandai Namco is said to have been carried out by the so-called BlackCat Ransomware Group.
The hackers boast at least about their latest success, report those who know the scene on Twitter.
Such loosely connected hacker groups have been responsible for several attacks and extortions in recent years:
Capcom, another major video game publisher and developer, fell victim to a hack in 2020.
Company internals and unannounced game titles were made public.
The developer of the renowned "Witcher" series and Cyberpunk 2077, CD projekt RED, was robbed by hackers in 2021.
Technology companies, such as the graphics card manufacturer Nvidia, were also attacked by such hackers in 2022 and are still struggling with the effects.
Such hacks become even more critical when they affect a country's infrastructure: the US oil supplier Colonial Pipeline was also attacked by the ransomware group in 2021.
As a result, the supply of petrol was stopped and there were even bottlenecks – as the Tagesschau reported on May 20, 2021.
That is why well-known authorities such as the FBI are investigating the almost insatiable hackers.
Bandai Namco has not yet commented on the hacker attacks last Monday (as of July 12, 11 a.m.).
Hackers make millions in ransoms from ransomware attacks
This is how the hackers proceed:
In a ransomware attack, the hackers smuggle malware into their victims' systems - for example with Trojans.
Then the sensitive data is encrypted, for example, so that the owners can no longer access it themselves.
The hackers also threatened to publish the inside information they found if no ransom was paid.
The BlackCat Ransomware Group captured secret company projects on the one hand, but also sensitive information about company employees.
The word ransomware is derived from the English word for ransom: "ransom".
As an addition, the “ware” known for IT terms, as in software, hardware, is added.
The fact that Colonial Pipeline paid the hackers around 4 million euros shows how well the ransom extortions are worthwhile.
Warzone firmly in the grip of hackers – This is how you imagine the stereotypical cheater © Activision/unsplash (Montage)
Most video gamers themselves tend to think of hackers as "harmless" cheaters who spoil the fun of honest gamers.
Such cheaters are up to mischief, especially in shooters, but are also happy to be humiliated to the delight of everyone in Warzone.
However, the fact that hackers are increasingly becoming a problem for the sometimes poorly equipped security systems of countries or international companies is a trend that should be taken seriously.
