Hackers Asked Gaming Giant CAPCOM to Pay an $11 Million in Bitcoin Ransom

Ransomware hackers reportedly breached the servers of gaming giant CAPCOM. The hackers have come out to request 11 million in Bitcoin from the Resident Evil creator or risk losing their data to the public.

The ransomware attack affected access to certain systems such as file and email servers, as it encrypted 1TB of sensitive data.

The Japanese video game publishers and developer has developed several multi-million selling game franchise, including Darkstalkers Street Fighter, and Resident Evil.

According to the firm, the malware was initially detected on Monday morning, when it confirmed that the attack was caused by unauthorized access by a third party. The company also said it had to stop some of its internal networks to prevent the wider spread of the malware in its system.

“Capcom expressed its deepest regret for any inconvenience this may cause to its various stakeholders,” the company said on its website on Wednesday.

The company also said there is no indication any customer data or detail was breached. Also, the company said the breach will not affect any access to various web pages of the firm or affect the connections for customers playing the games online

Presently, CAPCOM says it’s consulting with law enforcement to take measures to restore its systems to its normal capacity before the attack.

Based on the reports by Beeping Computer, the attackers used the Ragnar Locker ransomware in the cyber attack.

The ransomware distributes ransomware payloads through virtual machines, with the attackers known for their attacking methods of encrypting networks after stealing data.

Attackers requesting for $11 million in Bitcoin as a ransom

Their attack methods make it difficult for the victims to regain their network immediately after the attack. According to the attacker, they have in possession of 1 terabyte of data stolen from the server. They are demanding about $11 million worth of Bitcoin as ransom or the gaming giant will risk exposing the stolen files to the public.

Bleeping Computer accessed the ransom note placed on Capcom’s systems. According to the note, the hackers have 1TB of company data they stole from its database. The data include non-disclosure agreements, corporate agreements, and contracts, intellectual property, financial files, banking statements as well as private corporate correspondence (such as audit reports, marketing presentations, and emails).

The note also contains a link to the Ragnar Locker Tor negotiation site and another link to the private data leak page on the ransomware site.

This is not the first time, ransomware gangs have targeted video game companies, as game developers such as Ubisoft and Crytek were targeted last month by the Egregor ransomware group.