In mid-June, hackers claimed to have gained access to EA (via Motherboard), stealing 780GB of data from the giant publisher, but should you be worried about the EA hack from a personal security perspective?
Data breaches are hardly new to the video game industry. CD Projekt RED was subject to a large ransomware hit in February 2021. Capcom, Zynga, and countless others have also suffered from attacks.
So, what happened with the EA data breach?
What data was stolen in the EA Hack?
According to Motherboard, the EA hackers shared details of their data breach on a private forum, seeking to sell it off for a high price.
The hackers alleged to have stolen the FIFA 21source code and the code for FIFA's matchmaking servers. The hack also includes various SDKs and the source code for EA's Frostbite engine. This data also allegedly claims to include SDKs and API keys for FIFA 22, along with data from Microsoft and Sony.
EA has since responded to these reports. A spokesperson stated: "We are investigating a recent incident of intrusion into our network where a limited amount of game source code and related tools were stolen."
They also added that "no player data was accessed, and we have no reason to believe there is any risk to player privacy".
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What does this mean for my EA data? Should I change my passwords?
As the EA spokesperson has stated the data did not include player data, there is no reason to suspect your own data has been compromised.
With data breaches, companies will often contact you if they fear any of your information has been taken.
Of course, cybersecurity experts advise routinely changing all of your passwords, whether for your Activision, PlayStation, Epic Games or, in this case, EA account. This might just be a wake-up call to do so.
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