Insomniac Games, the acclaimed PlayStation studio behind the Marvel’s Spider-Man series, has been hit by a major cybersecurity breach. The alleged hack was carried out by the ransomware group Rhysida, which claims to have stolen a large amount of data from the developer.
The ransomware group Rhysida alleges to have acquired data from Insomniac and is currently attempting to auction off the information for a sum of 50 bitcoins, or $2 million. Ransomware actors are known to pressure companies into paying ransoms by setting short deadlines.
“With just 7 days on the clock, seize the opportunity to bid on exclusive, unique, and impressive data,” the Rhysida gang writes on its website, which can be viewed on the dark web. “Open your wallets and be ready to buy exclusive data. We sell only to one hand, no reselling, you will be the only owner!”
The extent of the looted data remains uncertain. However, as a validation of the legitimacy of the breach, the group has released a glimpse of the pilfered data, featuring snapshots of emails, tax forms, and passports that purportedly belong to Insomniac employees. Furthermore, the gang has shared screenshots suggesting in-game footage from the Marvel’s Wolverine game, a project actively under development by Insomniac.
Sony, the parent company of Insomniac Games, stated in reply, “We are aware of reports that Insomniac Games has been the victim of a cyber security attack. We are currently investigating this situation. We have no reason to believe that any other SIE or Sony divisions have been impacted.”
Situated in Burbank, California, Insomniac Games is an American video game developer. The company joined PlayStation Studios in 2019 following its acquisition by Sony Interactive Entertainment for $229 million. Originally established in 1994 by Ted Price as Xtreme Software, the company underwent a name change a year later, becoming Insomniac Games.
Their most recent release, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, became available on October 20th. Insomniac Games is also renowned for other franchises such as Ratchet & Clank, Resistance, and the widely popular Spyro the Dragon series.
Rhysida ransomware is a relatively new presence in the realm of cybercrime, first identified in May of this year. Recognized by the US Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA) as a threat actor, Rhysida is known to target various sectors opportunistically, including education, healthcare, manufacturing, information technology, and government.
Rhysida has been observed operating as a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) entity, leasing ransomware tools and infrastructure under a profit-sharing model.
Relevant articles:
– Game Industry Condemns Insomniac Hack and Shows Support for Spider-Man Devs
– Sony Investigates Alleged Hack of Spider-Man Developer Insomniac Games …
– Spider-Man 3 Spotted in Insomniac’s Leaked Internal Documents – Appuals
– Spider-Man game creator claimed by ransom gang | Cybernews