Right-o, let’s chat about what’s been happening in the world of video gaming recently. There’s been a bit of a kerfuffle, a right old muddle if you will: Insomniac Games, those folks behind many a popular game, have unfortunately been the latest victims of a pretty nasty ransomware attack.
Now, for those of you scratching your heads and thinking, “Ransom-what-now?” let me explain it in simple terms: imagine if a rogue chappy broke into your home, took your beloved stuff and then demanded a pretty penny for their safe return. In the world of cyberspace, these bad sorts take over your system and nick your data, causing a whole host of bother.
In a not-so-fun twist of fate, this particular cyber attack led to over a terabyte – that’s a lorra, lorra data – becoming public knowledge. To give you an idea, it’s like the cat being let out of the bag on the latest “who-done-it” before you’ve even had a chance to watch it on telly.
What was part of this ransomware raid, you ask? Well, there was a pretty major spoiler in there: an early playable version of Marvel’s Wolverine. Not just that though – the dastardly hackers also managed to leak details of the next five games lined up from Insomiac, a bit like a magic trick gone wrong. Top that off with plenty of private staff information, and you’ve got yourself quite the cybersecurity calamity.
Here’s where it gets a bit sticky though. Those eager beavers who couldn’t resist the temptation and used their savvy to get their mitts on the leaked Marvel’s Wolverine build have received a bit of a slap on the wrist, in the form of DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) notices from their own internet service providers.
Now, to simply put it, a DMCA notice is a warning shot from the copyright holder. It’s a bit like your mum finding out you were the culprit of that missing biscuit. The notice, with stern words and pointed fingers, is an alert for the user who’s been spotted infringing on copyright territory. And these players out there have been getting some telling off.
Curious to know how they tracked it? Well, the clever folks at Insomniac managed to track down these leaked files online. And they mean business! Screenshots of a DMCA notices are floating around on social media, shared by abashed game geeks. According to these, it seems the might of Insomniac has tracked users via their IP address.
So, what’s the lesson with our friendly tale of caution, chums? Well, it’s probably best to be a bit patient and steer clear of dodgy downloads, or else you might find yourself in the midst of your own superhero saga, and I daresay, not in the fun way. The world of gaming – it’s all a bit of a game itself, isn’t it? Just, perhaps, with a few more consequences. Stay safe, game lovers!
by Parker Bytes
