On February 28th, 2024, The American video and software developer and publishing company – Epic Games – was attacked. The group that is taking credit for the ransomware attack is called “The Mogilevich Gang.” These groups of hackers have attacked multiple different organizations that were not part of the gaming industry. They also have an extreme hold on the information they take without even showing the company what they gathered—leaving many organizations to wonder if they were the victim of an attack or not.
What Happened To Epic Games, What’s Next?
Mogilevich had a spokesperson come out and say, “This attack was discreet and was successful on Epic Games servers.” The group also was able to take 189 gigabytes worth of information. The data that was taken consisted of emails, passwords, full names, payment information, and even source code with other unspecified information. While this claim was made overnight, many Epic Game users immediately changed all information that had been on the servers. Changing passwords and emails, and even removing payment information.
Since then, Epic Games has responded that they were able to verify that they found “Zero Evidence” from Mogilevich’s attack. This stops many gamers and even many tournaments until more information is shared from either The Mogilevich Gang or Epic Games. Within the next few weeks to months, we all should see more details on the attack and whether it was an actual attack or an “attack scare.”
While we have not heard anything at all from Epic Games, we should continue to focus and change passwords to be safe. We all anticipate what Epic Games will say, we all do know that The Mogilevich Gang is not stopping on the allegations they made.
Why Is This Such A Big Concern?
The gaming industry has been rapidly growing over the last four years. In 2020, we all experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, which helped the gaming industry soar. From 2023 to 2024, it was reported that 2023 grew from 1.17 billion gamers to 3.07 billion players in 2024. With this huge change, more money is being put into the gaming industry than ever before. Going over $177 billion in 2024. Selective groups such as the Mogilevich Gang and others come up with a plan when they try to attack the industry. They choose either the Gaming Corporations or Gamers based on where they can receive more benefits.
Over the last few months in 2024, we have seen multiple leaks, attacks, and even source codes being released. With either option being attacked, it does inflict the other, causing extreme problems for the gamer or the corporations.
What Should You Do As The Gamer?
When an attack like this is made, you, as the gamer, should always step back and see if it was a corporation-wide attack or a specific attack. Seeing this can show you, as the gamer, where the attack came from and how to fix it.
Step 1: Ensure you can log into your account and you still have access to it (If you do, then continue to step 2). If not, reach out to support from the corporation and see what you can do on your side to gain access to the account.
Step 2: Change all passwords, enable multi-factor authentication, and ensure you remove your card details quickly. Note: multi-factor authentication (MFA) is something you should always have enabled. This is the best first defense against any attacks on an account.
Step 3: Once you feel confident about the information you change and what settings you enable to protect yourself, Always keep an eye out for updates on what was taken and attacked. This can help make sure you have all your bases covered.
