GTA-maker Rockstar Games hacked again but downplays impact

Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games has been targeted by hackers for the second time in three years, though the gaming giant is actively downplaying the severity of the breach. The data breach was reported by cybersecurity news outlets on Saturday after a group of hackers claimed responsibility for the intrusion. In posts viewed by the media, the criminals stated they gained access to Rockstar servers managed by a third-party cloud provider and threatened to publish stolen material online unless a ransom was paid. Despite the threats, Rockstar has attempted to reassure the public, telling the BBC "this incident has no impact on our organisation or our players". "We can confirm that a limited amount of non-material company information was accessed in connection with a third-party data breach," a Rockstar Games spokesperson said. The BBC has reported speaking with the hackers responsible for this latest breach, who operate under the alias ShinyHunters. The group is a prolific band of English-speaking cybercriminals, thought to be in their teens, who specialize in data theft and extortion. They previously claimed to be behind a major hack targeting gig ticket operator Ticketmaster. Over the last two years, the criminals have repeatedly broken into cloud storage systems used by major corporations and claim to have done the same with Rockstar Games. ShinyHunters said the stolen Rockstar data will be published online because their ransom demands were not met. This aligns with standard law enforcement advice around the world, which strictly warns against paying cybercriminal ransoms as it fuels the illicit industry and provides no guarantee that hackers will actually delete stolen data. This latest incident marks the second time the blockbuster game developer has been compromised. In 2023, an 18-year-old British hacker named Arion Kurtaj was given an indefinite hospital order after hacking into the company and stealing data, source code, and video clips of the unfinished GTA 6 game. The damaging hack saw 90 video clips of incomplete gameplay for Rockstar's highly-anticipated new game published across online forums—an event that prompted the firm to release its official trailer for the game ahead of schedule. Kurtaj was part of a gang of teen hackers called Lapsus$, which successfully hacked multiple large corporations throughout 2022 and 2023.