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Activision data breach overview:
- Who: Cybersecurity research collective vx-underground have published screenshots detailing an alleged December 2022 data breach against game developer Activision Blizzard.
- Why: vx-undeground alleges the data breach exposed the private data of Activision employees’ and future release plans for Call of Duty games, while the company responded by calling the event simply a “SMS phishing attempt.”
- Where: Activision caters its games to consumers nationwide.
Cybersecurity researchers have determined that a December 2022 data breach against game developer Activision Blizzard exposed employee data and the plans for future game releases.
The data breach, according to cybersecurity research collective vx-underground, was the result of a phishing attack that targeted an Activision employee with special privileges in the company’s network, reports Law360.
vx-underground said the data breach exposed Activision employees’ first and last names, corporate email addresses, and some telephone numbers, along with future release plans for the video game Call of Duty.
Activision, meanwhile, has said that its security team quickly addressed and resolved what it called a “SMS phishing attempt,” while choosing not to directly respond to screenshots released by vx-underground on Twitter detailing the data breach, reports Law360.
“Our information security team swiftly addressed an SMS phishing attempt and quickly resolved it. Following a thorough investigation, we determined that no sensitive employee data, game code, or player data was accessed,” Activision said, in a statement.
Activision response may imply it does not believe data breach needed to be disclosed to public
Activision’s response could suggest that it does not believe the data breach was significant enough to need to disclose to the public, according to Law360.
In California, where Activision is based, it is reportedly required by state law for a company to inform state regulators of a data breach that exposes the personal information of more than 500 California residents.
Personal data that would lead to a need for disclosure is defined in California as a person’s name in combination with another form of personally identifying data, such as a Social Security number, medical information, or biometric data, reports Law360.
Activison was handed a $35 million fine by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this month over claims it violated the agency’s whistleblower protection rules and allegedly failed to keep a record of employees’ company misconduct complaints.
Have you been impacted by a data breach? Let us know in the comments!
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One thought on Activision data breach exposed employee data, future release plans
We have 5 game systems and 3 laptops with these games. This effects 3 adults.