Japanese video game publisher Bandai Namco has confirmed being hit by a cyberattack that forced it to disconnect some systems from its network.
Bandai Namco is known for numerous popular video games, such as Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Gundam, Pac-Man, and Soulcalibur, among others.
The Japanese company appears to have fallen victim to the BlackCat ransomware gang, which recently claimed to have compromised Bandai Namco’s servers.
On July 11, the ransomware group added an entry named Bandai Namco to their leak site, saying that it would soon publish data allegedly stolen from the company, which suggests that communication between the victim and the attackers could be ongoing.
Bandai Namco has confirmed suffering a cyberattack that forced it to block access to some of its internal systems at branches across Asia – excluding Japan – but did not specifically mention ransomware being involved.
However, the company said in a statement that some customer information might have been compromised during the attack.
“In addition, there is a possibility that customer information related to the Toys and Hobby Business in Asian regions (excluding Japan) was included in the servers and PCs, and we are currently identifying the status about existence of leakage, scope of the damage, and investigating the cause,” Bandai Namco said.
The video game publisher said it would share additional information on the incident as the investigation progresses and that it plans to improve cybersecurity across the Bandai Namco group.
Also referred to as ALPHV and Noberus, BlackCat was initially observed in November 2021, as the first ransomware coded in Rust.
Recently, its operators have announced a database that allows the employees and customers of victims to search for their data. The move appears to be yet another strategy to pressure victim companies into paying a ransom. The group has been observed demanding $2-$2.5 million from their victims.
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