Unveiling the Masterminds: Capcom Hacker Group Exposed and Apprehended!

Highlights

The Ragnar Locker Ransomware Group, responsible for hacking Capcom, has been taken down by the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation.

Since 2020, the group has been targeting approximately 200 international companies, leaking confidential data such as information about unreleased games. Although efforts have been made to take them down, there remains a concern of other hackers and groups targeting gaming companies, as highlighted by Sony's recent data breaches.

The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation has successfully dismantled the Ragnar Locker Ransomware Group, which was responsible for hacking Capcom in 2020. This dangerous ransomware group had previously gained unauthorized access to various corporate and consumer data of Capcom, resulting in the premature release of some of their games.

The Ragnar Locker Ransomware Group was notorious for its malicious activities and was believed to be behind the attacks on approximately 200 international companies, including Capcom, since 2020. Fans may remember that this group was responsible for leaking information about Street Fighter 6 and the in-development remake of Resident Evil 4. In addition to compromising sales reports, financial data, and confidential corporate information, the group also managed to obtain and expose personal information of Capcom's customers and employees.

Nearly three years after the occurrence of that data breach, a joint international operation conducted by Europol and The European Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation resulted in the dismantling of the ransomware group responsible for the Capcom Hack. In an announcement made by Europol, it was revealed that authorities apprehended the "key target of this malicious ransomware strain" in Paris, France, and executed a search at the key target's residence in Czechia. Additionally, law enforcement officials conducted interviews with five suspects in Spain and Latvia in the subsequent days. Furthermore, Europol successfully presented the primary perpetrator, who is suspected of being a developer of the Ragnar Locker Ransomware Group, to the examining magistrates of the Paris Judicial Court.

Europol's joint international operation, in cooperation with law enforcement authorities from several countries including Czechia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United States of America, is a result of the French National Gendarmerie's investigation. The aim of this operation is to take down the Ragnar Locker Ransomware Group and send a strong message to other ransomware operators that they cannot continue their attacks without facing consequences.

However, despite the efforts of Europol, individual hackers and similar groups are still likely to target and attack gaming companies and developers. Recently, Sony experienced two major data breaches this year - the first occurring on May 28, and the second in late September. While Sony has already notified its current and former employees and their family members about the first breach, assuring them that their sensitive data was compromised, it has reassured customers and business partners that there is no evidence suggesting that the second breach compromised their personal information. Sony has not provided an update on whether the second breach resulted in a data leak.

Source: Europol