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The hackers who stole 780 GB of EA data are allegedly posting it online to force the company to pay an undisclosed ransom, according to a Motherboard report.
It’s unclear where the hackers are sharing this stolen data, but Motherboard reports that 1.3 GB of the 780 GB total has already been released. This compressed cache allegedly contains information on EA tools and the company’s Origin store. The hackers are attempting to extort the company.
“Few week ago we send email for ransome [sic] to EA but we dont get any response so we will posting the src [source],” the hackers wrote in a post online. “If they dont contact us or dont pay us we will keep posting it [sic].”
The hackers told Motherboard that they have sent ransom demands to EA. However, EA told Motherboard it has yet to receive any kind of obligations.
In a statement to Motherboard, an EA spokesperson said the company is analyzing the information being released and continuing to work with law enforcement. EA believes the hack doesn’t pose any risk to player privacy.
“We’re aware of the recent posts by the alleged hackers and we are analyzing the files released,” the spokesperson said. “At this time, we continue to believe that it does not contain data that poses any concern to player privacy, and we have no reason to believe that there is any material risk to our games, our business, or our players. We continue to work with federal law enforcement officials as part of this ongoing criminal investigation.”
When reached for comment, an EA spokesperson directed us to the same statement it gave to Motherboard.
The data the hackers stole contained a plethora of information. There was documentation on FIFA 21 source code and tools from the Frostbite engine. It also had references to proprietary EA frameworks and software development kits that streamline game making. Further, buried deep within the 780 GB of stolen data was supposedly material related to The Sims.
This move on the EA hackers’ part mirrors similar tactics a separate group employed when hacking Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red. Earlier this year, a collection of hackers obtained Cyberpunk 2077 source code and demanded CDPR pay a ransom. Sometime later, the Cyberpunk hackers allegedly threw the stolen source data up for auction, seeking $1,000,000.
