FBI Partners With Rockstar Games and Uber Over Recent Hacks
Rockstar Games has made an unlikely ally this week, as rideshare titan Uber announced in a newly updated blog that the same perpetrator who leaked tons of information on Grand Theft Auto VI this past weekend was also behind their recent data breach – among many others.
Who is responsible? We believe that this attacker (or attackers) are affiliated with a hacking group called Lapsus$, which has been increasingly active over the last year or so. This group typically uses similar techniques to target technology companies, and in 2022 alone has breached Microsoft, Cisco, Samsung, Nvidia and Okta, among others. There are also reports over the weekend that this same actor breached video game maker Rockstar Games. We are in close coordination with the FBI and US Department of Justice on this matter and will continue to support their efforts.
Uber Newsroom, “Security Update”, Uber.com
The specific hacker in question is rumored to be just 16 years old, an individual that BBC News reported on earlier this year. The minor was arrested along with several other suspected hackers by City of London Police, and all of them were later released.
The craziest part about all this is that a sixteen year old may have amassed over $14 million over the past few years thanks to his hacking career. It just goes to show you that you can’t underestimate anyone on these internet streets and that you can never be too careful.
We still probably can’t even fathom the fallout that Rockstar’s breach will have on the production of Grand Theft Auto VI, but it is safe to assume that delays will inevitably come while the company re-evaluates its work from home policies and security tools/initiatives. As I said on Twitter yesterday, the sad truth of situations like these is that nobody wins. Sure, fans got a peek at GTA VI, but saw nothing of real substance and now we’re gonna have to wait even longer for the real deal. Diablo IV leaks also made the rounds this week, and I can’t imagine those will be taken lightly either.
Only time will tell what happens with situations like this, but I can only hope Rockstar shores up their defenses and that we can get a real good look at the next GTA sooner rather than later.
