'Cyberpunk 2077' Attacked by Ransomware Hackers Who Gathered Sensitive Data

Sieeka Khan, Tech Times 09 February 2021, 09:02 am

CD Projekt, the maker of "Cyberpunk 2077," stated that they have been hacked by attackers who were able to access their internal network. The hackers were also able to encrypt some of their devices and collect data from them.

The Polish video game company stated that it will not give in to the demands and the blackmailing of the hackers, and the company refuses to negotiate as they do not believe that any personal data of their players or the users of their services had been stolen.

CD Projekt gets hacked

CD Projekt posted on their Twitter account the ransom note that was allegedly left by the hackers. The hackers claim that they have access to the source code for "Cyberpunk 2077, "Gwent," "Witcher 3," and an unreleased version of "Witcher 3."

The hackers are threatening to release the source code and the internal legal, financial documents and HR documents of the company if they do not come up with an agreement soon.

Also Read: 'Cyberpunk 2077' on Nintendo Switch? Apparently It Works With This Google Stadia Hack! Here's How

In a statement that was posted by The Verge, the company stated that it has secured its IT infrastructure, and they are now restoring their data from intact backups. The company added that they informed the relevant authorities and the IT forensic specialists about what happened.

The hacking follows CD Projekt's issues when it launched "Cyberpunk 2077" last year. The game release with numerous bugs and performance issues on PC gaming, and it was deemed almost unplayable on consoles.

Because of its issues, Sony decided to pull the game from the PlayStation Store and they offered refunds to players. Microsoft did the same thing and also offered refunds.

After the fiasco, CD Projekt was heavily criticized for releasing the video game, and the critics called it an unfinished state. The company has promised to address the issues of the video game and will patch things up.

The company is now facing a lawsuit from investors who claim that they were misled about the performance of the game before it was released.

The company was also criticized after there were claims stating that they forced their employees to work long hours before the game's release.

What is ransomware?

Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts the files of its victims. The hacker demands a ransom from the victim before they restore access to the sensitive data upon payment.

Users are then show specific instructions for how they can pay the ransom in order to get the decryption key. The costs can range from a couple hundred dollars to thousands of dollars, and it is payable to cybercriminals via Bitcoin as it can't be traced.

There are different vectors that ransomware can take to access the victim's computer. One of the most common delivery systems is phishing spam, wherein attachments are sent to the victim through an email and hackers make it look like an ordinary file.

As soon as these files are downloaded and opened, they can take over the computer of the victim. According to CSO, in some cases, ransomware exploit the security holes to infect the computers without tricking the users.