By
Mercy Tukiya Mutanya
September 29th, 2023
Riot Games said that the stolen source code undermines the studio’s ability to release new content. They have refused to pay any ransom to the hackers.
Riot Games, the maker of League of Legends, recently confirmed that the source code for the popular game has been stolen. Last week on January 20, the studio complained about the compromised state of its development environment in a social engineering attack.
League of Legends Source Code Stolen
This method basically involves the psychological manipulation of people and pushing them to perform actions that would divulge information. As a result, the source code for League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and a legacy anti-cheat platform remains compromised. It has also impacted Riot’s ability to release new content.
Riot Games noted that any exposure to the source code can increase the possibility of new cheats emerging. The studio also noted that they have been working to deploy fixes as quickly as possible. The popular gaming studio noted:
“The illegally obtained source code also includes a number of experimental features. While we hope some of these game modes and other changes eventually make it out to players, most of this content is in prototype and there’s no guarantee it will ever be released.”
Riot Games added that although this attack disrupted their build environment, there’s no compromise with the player’s data or any player’s personal information.
Riot Games Received a Ransom Email
In an update on Tuesday, January 24, the game studio added that they received a ransom email from the hacker. “Needless to say, we won’t pay,” it added. Riot Games noted that they are working with law enforcement and authorities who are investigating the attack and the group behind it. They added:
“We’re committed to transparency and will release a full report in the future detailing the attackers’ techniques, the areas where Riot’s security controls failed, and the steps we’re taking to ensure this doesn’t happen again”.
The studio said to have made good progress over the last week and expects things repaired by later this week. Riot Games is also among the latest players in the market to announce 46 job cuts calling it a part of “strategic shifts within a few teams” and increasing their focus in several areas of business.
Read other technology news on our website to get the latest industry insights.
