Epic Games, the company behind the hit game Fortnite, has refuted claims that it was ravaged by a massive 189GB ransomware hack. The allegations, put forth by the notorious hacking group Mogilevich, suggested that the sensitive data was compromised.
Epic Games, recognized as one of the leading game developers and publishers globally, officially dismissed allegations of a ransomware hack. Mogilevich, the group supposedly responsible for the alleged data theft, boasts a checkered past when it comes to high profile cyber heists.
The suspects have been tied to various other significant cyberattacks in recent days. Reportedly, they have also recently extorted data from Infiniti USA and Bazaarvoice. It is said that the info compromised from Epic Games is now listed for sale on the dark web. The supposed array of stolen data includes email, passwords, full names, payment information, source code, and other data sets.
The cache of reportedly stolen data is rather voluminous, implying that the stolen info could contain sensitive details regarding customer accounts. It may also include data about Fortnite and other Epic Games titles. Major data breaches like this aren't entirely unprecedented, as manifested by the large-scale data breach at Insomniac Games in December 2023.
Epic Games' Reaction to The Data Breach Claims
In response to our request for a comment on the issue, Epic Games has officially stated that, after investigating, there is currently no evidence supporting the hack claims. Moreover, the statement adds that there has not been any communication from the hackers or any evidence provided to indicate a hack has indeed happened.
Clash Over Breach Claims
The legitimacy of the alleged data leak remains uncertain, whether it's a play for reputation or proven and real. Digital security specialist and cybersecurity analyst Dominic Alvieri argues that the claims of a breach are baseless. In his view, the ransomware group hasn't proffered any concrete evidence of actually intruding Epic Games' systems.
Lending his expertise to the discourse, Lawrence Abrams claims that the group has demanded a ransom of '15k' for the stolen data. He also emphasizes their insistence on only providing evidence of the breach upon confirmation of intent to purchase and proof of funds.
Making its rounds on the underground site TOX, the alleged ransomware attack seems to be targeted at Epic Games. A representative message from the site reads, 'If you are an employee of the company or someone who would like to buy the data, click me.' Only Epic Games' security experts can verify the veracity of such a ransomware attack and check if any data has indeed been compromised or stolen.
Emerging in the wake of Epic Games' official statement denying the legitimacy of the claims, it seems plausible that this could be a ploy by Mogilevich to gain notoriety and scam potential buyers looking eagerly to bet on the stolen data.