Recently, it was revealed by Riot Games that a hacker had breached its systems, stealing the League of Legends source code. Not only that, but the malicious individual also got away with details of Riot’s anti-cheat programs and the source code for Teamfight Tactics. This is a moment of huge concern, as it opens the door for new cheats to surface across both games, and potentially, across the entire suite of Riot titles, including VALORANT.
Riot was quick to advise that no player data had been leaked or stolen during the hack, but its internal systems were compromised to an extreme level. Recently, several hacks have taken place across the gaming industry that have led to huge leaks taking place. Most recently, Grand Theft Auto 6 was revealed by a considerable amount as more than 100 GB of data was stolen from Rockstar Games and distributed online.
Riot ‘Compromised Via A Social Engineering Attack’
Image Credit: Riot Games
For the most part, Riot Games has remained transparent throughout the situation, telling players quite honestly what it is that they’re suffering with at present. Reportedly, it wasn’t just the League of Legends source code and some anti-cheat software that was stolen but also unreleased, experimental features from Riot Games’ portfolio of titles. Bizarrely, the situation escalated further when Riot Games was issued a ransom email, demanding funds be sent to the hacker.
However, Riot Games was resolute in its decision to absolutely yield to such demands. Here’s the message from Riot Games confirming the situation thus far:
Riot Games has now hired consultants and engaged legal teams to assess the full length and breadth of the damage done, both present and future. There will likely be several overhauls and potentially the scrapping of some planned content, but Riot Games is prepared to weather the road ahead. It has already been explained that progress has been made in securing the League of Legends and TFT platforms, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.
Leaks Upon Leaks Upon Leaks
There are some corners of the gaming community that thrive on gaming leaks, but some of them can be catastrophic for developers. There’s the leaking of a release date or a simple image, and then there’s a situation like this, where highly sensitive, critical information and content are stripped out from a studio without any prior warning.
In the last year, we’ve seen maps and modes leaked from Call of Duty: Warzone, skins leaked from Fortnite, and the entire source code of Grand Theft Auto V stolen and leaked from Rockstar Games. As the world becomes increasingly digital and hackers become more sophisticated, it’s likely the situation will not improve anytime soon.
Do developers and technology firms need to do more to shore up their defences against potential hackers?
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