In December of 2020, after much fanfare, the CD Project Group launched Cyberpunk 2077. However, contrary to the hype, the game was riddled with bugs and soon earned a cascade of blistering customer feedback. Two months later, hackers capitalized on the game’s bugs, stealing encrypted data and hijacking source code. As if that was not disturbing enough, criminals recently revealed that they have gained access to internal details about employees and customers and have disseminated it onto the internet.
The Poland-based CD Project Group is combating this cyber attack by working closely with security experts and law enforcement officials both in-country and internationally. Furthermore, they are taking the following internal steps:
- Implementation of next-generation firewalls with state-of-the-art anti-malware protection
- Deployment of a new remote-access solution
- Limitation to the number of privileged accounts and access rights
- Updated mechanisms for protecting servers, endpoints, and networks
- Improvement of event-monitoring systems
- Expansion and cutting-edge training of internal security department
- Collaboration with gold-standard external information security and IT specialists
Although the gaming industry has been particularly hard hit in the past few months, the techniques used by hackers to compromise their systems are also being weaponized to harm public and private companies of all kinds. With ransomware attacks such as this one on the rise throughout the digital sector, teams from all industries are learning to note the techniques the attackers use and the reactive and preemptive measures the affected companies enact.
One commonality between gaming and other industries is their increased use of and reliance on mobile cloud-based technology. Hackers exploit these mobile applications while simultaneously taking advantage of customers’ ignorance about security practices and/or their lazy or careless attitudes when keeping the digital infrastructure safe. Security teams across all industries can learn the importance of vigilance and cutting-edge innovation from their gaming counterparts. More than anyone else, companies like the CD Project Group can be models of forward-thinking digital hygiene that can ultimately become the standard across the entire cyber landscape.