Threat actors stole Activision Blizzard internal documents and content.
Activision Blizzard, one of the world’s largest video game companies, suffered a data breach on December 4th, 2022. According to vx-underground, threat actors were able to “successfully phish a privileged user on the network and exfiltrate sensitive workplace documents, as well as scheduled to be released content dating to November 17th, 2023.”
According to this twit, the threat actors attempted to phish other employees but were unsuccessful. However, the employees who received the phishing attempts did not report the incident to Activision’s information security team.
What’s most concerning about this breach is that Activision Blizzard did not disclose it to anyone. The company failed to inform its customers, stakeholders, or regulators of the security incident, and only confirmed the breach after a leak of its internal communications (screenshots of such communications can be found here).
The Anatomy of the Breach
The threat actors used phishing tactics to target privileged users on Activision’s network. They were able to successfully exfiltrate sensitive information, including workplace documents and unreleased content.
Phishing is a type of social engineering attack where attackers use fraudulent emails, text messages, or other forms of communication to trick victims into providing sensitive information. In this case, the attackers were able to obtain login credentials for a privileged user, which gave them access to sensitive information across the network.
Activision’s Response (or lack thereof)
Activision Blizzard’s failure to disclose the breach to anyone is concerning, especially when it’s not clear if any of the documents stored information of any of its customers or stakeholders. Failing to report such incidents can damage a company’s reputation, erode customer trust, and result in regulatory fines.
The company’s handling of the breach raises important questions about the adequacy of its security measures and the need for more transparency and accountability when it comes to reporting security incidents.
The Activision Blizzard breach is a wake-up call for organizations to prioritize their cybersecurity measures and to ensure that they have robust incident response plans in place. It also highlights the importance of promptly reporting security incidents to stakeholders and regulators, as failing to do so can have serious consequences.
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