Hackers Begin Posting EA's Stolen Data Online, Making Further Ransom Demands

You may recall that just over a month ago, EA were subject to a serious data breach. As reported by Motherboard, having purchased a Slack token online and through that, hackers obtained around 780GB of data, including source code for FIFA 2021, EA's proprietary engine, Frostbite, and some internal software development kits.

While EA confirmed no player data was accessed in this breach, the California-based publishers advised they'd be "actively working with law enforcement officials and other experts" as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. However, as suspected, these hackers are now demanding a ransom sum.

Read More: Netflix Plans Expansion Into Gaming Next Year

Hackers Begin Posting EA's Stolen Data Online, Making Further Ransom Demands

During this time, Motherboard has continued investigating this issue and now, they've confirmed that hackers have released part of that stolen data online. Hoping EA will pay a ransom, these hackers advised that EA hasn't given them any response at this time, so they've now released 1.3GB of stolen code, a compressed data cache that contains internal tools and Origin Store details.

Speaking to Motherboard directly, an EA spokesperson advised they're aware of this data dump, but that the contained information is of no risk to players or their business. Specifically, they advised:

We're aware of the recent posts by the alleged hackers and we are analyzing the files released. 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.

EA's not the only company to face targeted hacking in recent times. Back in November, Capcom were subject to a a "customised ransomware attack", laying bare their upcoming plans for the next few years, while CD Projekt also faced similar troubles back in February. As always, we'll keep you informed with further developments as they happen.