Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco became the latest victim of a ransomware attack by a notorious hacker group.

First reported by Kotaku, the hacker group BlackCat hit Japanese publisher Bandai Namco with a ransomware hack. vx-underground, a group that monitors for malware on the web, revealed the hack in a Tweet. "ALPHV ransomware group (alternatively referred to as BlackCat ransomware group) claims to have ransomed Bandai Namco," the group said. At the time of writing, Bandai Namco has yet to comment on the situation or confirm the report's validity. There is currently no word on the extent of the damage nor how much BlackCat demanded the publisher to pay up.

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Several members of BlackCat are suspected of involvement in the Colonial Pipeline hack last year. According to computer security analysts and the FBI, the group appears to be ramping up its ransomware attacks in recent years. Recent attacks by the group resulted in the posting of private employee data online when the victims refused to comply with their demands, often running in the millions of dollars. Aside from for-profit companies, BlackCat has also targeted school districts and public entities.

Cyber Attacks on the Rise

Although leaks are widespread in the gaming industry, full-blown hacks are another matter entirely. Cyber attacks on entities in the sector have increased in recent years, with several of the more prominent names becoming victims of security breaches. Nvidia GeForce experienced a major hack last year that appeared to confirm many upcoming titles expected for PC, such as Injustice 3: Gods Will Fall, Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Remastered, Payday 3, Destroy All Humans! 3 and Final Fantasy VII Remake. Perhaps the most popular of the titles supposedly leaked was a Batman Arkham Knight Remaster, though it remains unconfirmed. These leaks were seemingly confirmed with the reveal of Kingdom Hearts IV, which matched the list of games discovered in the hack.

In October 2021, a hacker leaked Twitch's source code and creator payout information. Twitch confirmed the breach, reassuring its users the company was hard at work to fix the issue. In that case, a hacker uploaded a 125GB folder to 4chan, revealing a wealth of personal information about Twitch. Unlike BlackCat, this hacker gave reasons for their actions, saying it was to "foster more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space" because the Twitch community had become "a disgusting toxic cesspool."

Source: Kotaku