Riot Games Source Code Leak

On February 2, 2023, it was reported that the source code for the popular online video game League of Legends was stolen by hackers. The hackers sent a ransom email to the game’s developer, Riot Games, asking for $10 million in exchange for the stolen data. The email included evidence of the theft in the form of two large PDFs that appeared to show directories related to the game’s code. The hackers also provided Riot Games with a deadline of 12 hours to pay the ransom and threatened to make the hack public if the ransom was not paid.

Riot Games confirmed that the source code had been stolen but declined to provide additional comments. In a series of tweets, the company referred to the breach as a “social engineering attack” and stated that it had no indication that user data had been affected. Riot Games also stated that it would not pay the ransom.

A social engineering attack involves tricking individuals into revealing sensitive information. Social engineering attacks can take many forms, such as phishing scams, pretexting, baiting, and quid pro quo. In the case of Riot Games, it is unclear what type of social engineering attack was used, but it is important to note that such attacks can be successful even if only one individual is fooled.

Another question that arises from this breach is the impact it could have on the future of League of Legends and other games developed by Riot Games. The source code is considered to be one of the most valuable assets of a software company, as it contains the instructions used to create the game. If the source code is made public, it could potentially be used by other individuals to create similar games or even used to modify the existing game. The source code for League of Legends is also closely guarded due to its significance to the game’s anti-cheat measures. The anti-cheat measures are critical to ensuring that the game remains fair and enjoyable for all players. The theft of the source code for the anti-cheat measures could have far-reaching implications for the future of the game. Riot warned players that having the source code and anti-cheat leaked would likely lead to an increase in number of hackers in their lobbies

The decision by Riot Games to not pay the ransom raises questions about the ethics of paying ransoms in such situations. On one hand, paying the ransom could encourage hackers to continue such attacks, as they know that they can receive payment for their actions. On the other hand, not paying the ransom could result in the data being made public, which could have far-reaching consequences for the company and its products. In the case of Riot Games, the decision not to pay the ransom may have been motivated by a desire to send a message that such attacks will not be tolerated.

This article is written by Gaurav Advit.