EA Games looted by intruders: Publisher says 'no player data accessed' after reported theft of FIFA 21, Frostbite source EA Games, publisher of Battlefield, The Sims and FIFA, has admitted to a "recent incident of intrusion into our network" in which attackers reportedly stole game source code and software development kits. The company acknowledged the breach while downplaying its impact, saying no personal data of players had been taken and …
Excuse me while I get the world's smallest violin, EA is part of everything that's wrong with the games industry.
1) Shouldn't a games company be at least one step ahead of data thieves?
2) Shouldn't a tech company have had the skills to tie down vulnerabilities
3) Shouldn't a high security operation have made sure their stuff was siloed so that no one could ever get to more than a part of it
4) All of the above when a high security computer based games company like EA is concerned
And
5)Isn't the big risk now that the criminals will be selling compromised cheats etc. that also take control of foolish purchasers* PCs
*Not a gamer** ( can never be bothered to struggle past that bit early in the game where the only way forward is to keep trying random things in a series of random sequences until a random combination of objects align to open the secret door in a random location), so I don't get the point of having "cheats". (Other than, I guess, to get past that bit early in the game where the only way forward is to keep trying a.........)
**I also don't enjoy all that killing".
"Game source code is valuable because makers of big-ticket titles go to some lengths to obfuscate their code in order to deter cheaters from giving themselves an unfair advantage in online multiplayer sessions."
It's a FIFA game. Surely somebody already dumped the code from FIFA 14 BCE that could serve the same purpose as far as advantages go. It's not like Electronic Arts has done any updating to the game since then.
I guess I'm willing to believe that video game source code is worth marginally more than an invisible sculpture. https://forums.theregister.com/forum/all/2021/06/07/invisible_sculpture_is_a_must/
So, EA must be out of pocket ... hmmm ... somewhere around €15,001? However will they survive?
“no player data accessed” We get this bullshit statement time and again when ever a company is hacked. These statements that no customer data was accessed should be challenged by the authorities. The reality is they have found no evidence that customer data was accessed. These companies should not be allowed to make these statements that customer data was not accessed unless they can prove it.
Without evidence to the contrary, it should be assumed that customer data has been accessed. Companies should be required to follow the rules/laws that apply when customer data was known to be accessed.
In this case why would you not think that customer data has been accessed? I mean EA are a games company the most important thing to them are their games, the code. Thieves have got away with their crown jewels their most protected assets. If they can do that there is no reason to believe that on they way out that did not take customer data as well.
YOUR TEAM HAS THE LEAD!
Seriously though, "It's worth noting that EA are so hated that they have twice won the award for being worst company in America against the sort of companies who's activities occasionally result in massive environmental damage and/or people actually dying."
According to the Vice article: "The representative for the hackers provided screenshots to help corroborate the various steps of the hack"
Damn, that's some serious in-the-face screw-you-here's-how-we-did-it
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2023
