EA has apparently fallen victim to a hacker attack: hackers are said to have stolen the source code for FIFA 21 among other things, as well as data related to the Frostbite engine.
This is what happened: According to a report by “Vice”, hackers have stolen a large amount of data from EA. In forum posts, messages from the hackers are currently being shared, claiming that various EA services can be exploited with the data (via Vice)
Among other things, the source code for FIFA 21 is said to be among the stolen data, as well as the code for the matchmaking servers of the football game.
Moreover, the hackers are said to have secured the source code and various tools for the Frostbite engine. This engine is the foundation for numerous games from EA, including the new Battlefield 2042.
In addition, other developer tools are included in the stolen data. The hack encompasses a total of 780 GB of stolen data, which they are now trying to sell in various forums.
EA comments on the attack
This is what EA says: EA has confirmed the attack on the data to Vice Motherboard and also stated that the information regarding the contents is correct. The incident, in which a “limited amount of source code” and associated tools were stolen, is currently under investigation, an EA spokesperson told Motherboard.
The players’ private data, meanwhile, are safe: “There was no access to player data, and we have no reason to believe that there is a risk to players’ privacy,” said the spokesperson. “Following this incident, we have already implemented security improvements and do not expect any impact on our games or business. We are actively working with law enforcement and other experts as part of the ongoing criminal investigation.”
Hacker attacks can be a significant problem for video game companies. Such incidents happen repeatedly. Earlier this year, for instance, CD Projekt Red was the victim of a cyber attack. With the demands of the hackers, the developers then went public.
