Gaming Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools

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(CNN Business)Hackers have broken into the systems of Electronic Arts, one of the world's biggest video game publishers, and stolen source code used in company games, a spokesperson confirmed to CNN Business on Thursday.

Online forum posts reviewed by CNN Business and vetted by an independent cybersecurity expert show that on June 6, hackers claimed to have obtained 780 gigabytes of data from EA (EA), including the Frostbite source code, which is the game engine that powers the FIFA, Madden, and Battlefield series of video games, among others.

The hackers claimed to offer "full capability of exploiting on all EA services." They also claimed to have stolen software development tools for FIFA 21 and server code for player matchmaking in FIFA 22.

Brett Callow, the cybersecurity expert and a threat analyst at Emsisoft, said losing control over source code could be problematic for EA's business. "Source code could, theoretically, be copied by other developers or used to create hacks for games," he said.

 
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Ghan

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I don't really support this kind of behavior, but in the case of EA, it is so richly deserved. EA has been a blight on the gaming industry for years.
 

jonas

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To be honest though, source code is cheap. Without the AAA artists as well as devs to adapt the code to whatever whimsical needs the game has, the source code is almost worthless.
Except to hackers, of course.
 

tom_mai78101

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To be honest though, source code is cheap. Without the AAA artists as well as devs to adapt the code to whatever whimsical needs the game has, the source code is almost worthless.
Except to hackers, of course.
And journalists and regulators. If they get access to the source codes for FIFA, they can scour through the data and check whether FIFA loot boxes are actually abiding the laws.
 

The Helper

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The same type of groups that were hacking the pipelines in the US have switched to stealing code and releasing if they do not pay. Apparently, EA decided not to pay or is still being extorted.
 

jonas

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And journalists and regulators. If they get access to the source codes for FIFA, they can scour through the data and check whether FIFA loot boxes are actually abiding the laws.

Oh man, FIFA has loot boxes now? And I thought they were scammers when they just released the same game every year...
 

tom_mai78101

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Oh man, FIFA has loot boxes now? And I thought they were scammers when they just released the same game every year...
It's been a controversial topic since 2019. Lawsuits were flying about, and the litigation isn't over.
 
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