A ransomware hacker group called Ransomed.vc has recently come forward, claiming to have compromised all of Sony's systems in a massive attack, gaining access to approximately 6,000 of the tech giant's files.
Initial reports
According to a September 25 article in the Australian cybersecurity outlet Cyber Security Connect, Sony, the manufacturer of the PlayStation, has allegedly been hacked by the hacker group Ransomed.vc. The group, which has been operating since September, apparently has connections to previous dark web forums and groups. The publication also revealed that the alleged attack exposed screenshots of Sony's internal login page, an internal PowerPoint presentation detailing testing information, several Java files, and a complete document tree containing the 6,000 leaked files.
Group intentions
Ransomed.vc declared: "We have successfully compromised all of Sony's systems. We're not going to ask for ransom! We're going to sell the data. Since Sony doesn't want to pay. THE DATA IS FOR SALE. WE'RE SELLING IT." Among the files are unknown documents, Java resources and HTML data. Many of these files are supposedly in Japanese. The group left a "post date" of September 28, which may be when they plan to publish everything.
Double Nature
Interestingly, Ransomed.vc operates both as a ransomware executor and as a ransomware-as-a-service organization, indicating that in addition to carrying out large-scale hacks on significant corporations, the group also allegedly collaborates with the European Union's General Data Protection and Regulation (GDPR) and other data privacy laws to report vulnerabilities in company systems and violations of the laws, using the laws to pressure its victims.
Silence from Sony
So far, Sony has not commented publicly on the breach or the impact of Ransomed.vc on the company. The incident brings to mind the massive attack in 2011. Sony's PlayStation Network (PSN) suffered a massive security breach. The network was attacked by hackers, and as a result, the personal information of approximately 77 million users, including credit card data, was potentially exposed. The breach forced Sony to shut down PSN for an extended period, leaving millions of PlayStation 3 users without access to online services for weeks.
Sony, at the time, faced significant criticism for initially not fully disclosing the extent of the breach. When the company finally acknowledged the seriousness of the incident, efforts were made to strengthen the security of its systems, and compensation was offered to affected users, including free games and service subscriptions.
The 2011 attack not only significantly damaged Sony's reputation, but also brought cybersecurity issues to the center of attention in the gaming industry. The incident resulted in multiple lawsuits and government investigations, and Sony had to testify before the US Congress to explain the circumstances of the attack. The company has also invested heavily in security improvements to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The hack served as a crucial reminder to other companies about the importance of data security and the need to have robust security measures in place to protect user information. It continues to be a reference point in discussions about cyber security in the gaming industry, especially when new data breach incidents are revealed.
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