According to an article published on September 25 by the Australian cybersecurity publication Cyber Security Connect, the PlayStation maker was breached by Ransomed. vc, a new gang of hackers that has only been active since September—though the publication suggests the gang has ties to previous dark web forums and groups. According to Cyber Security Connect, the hack purportedly discovered pictures of Sony’s internal log-in page, an internal PowerPoint presentation explaining test bench specifications, many Java files, and a document tree containing 6,000 files from the entire leak.
“We have successfully [compromised] all of [Sony’s] systems,” Ransomed. vc declared victory. “We’re not going to hold them hostage!” We will sell the information. Because Sony refused to pay. DATA IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE. WE ARE MARKETING IT.”
Among those 6,000 files is allegedly a plethora of documentation, including unidentified “build log files,” a swath of Java resources, and HTML data. According to reports, many of the files are in Japanese. While being ransomed. The group left contact information for Sony to get in touch with and stated a “post date” of September 28, which may be when Ransomed gets released.VC will simply post it all.
Ransomed.vc appears to be a ransomware operator as well as a ransomware-as-a-service provider. That means that in addition to these large-scale corporate hacks, Ransomed. vc (which VGC claims operates out of Russia and Ukraine) reportedly collaborates with the EU’s general data protection and regulation (GDPR) and other data privacy laws to report vulnerabilities in company systems and violations of the laws. According to Cyber Security Connect, the group is allegedly using the law to force victims into submission.
Sony has yet to comment officially on the hack or the scope of Ransomed. VC’s impact on the corporation. Kotaku requested a statement from Sony.
This is not the first time Sony has been compromised. In 2011, the PlayStation Network suffered a huge hack, compromising 77 million registered accounts and rendering online features useless. It was so awful that Sony not only had to explain what happened to Congress but also began giving away games and money as compensation a few years later. Less than 6,000 data may not seem as terrible as the PSN hack, but a hack is a hack, and here’s hoping Sony can batten down the hatches as soon as possible.
