Report: Activision got hacked in December, with internal documents exposed through phishing

UPDATE: The article was updated to add new details from Insider Gaming about the data breach

• This according to vx-underground, a platform that collects malware source code and leaked documents. It shared the information on Twitter, saying that the breach happened on December 4, 2022.
• The identity of the intruders remains unknown, but they managed to gain access to the data by phishing a “privileged user on the network.” “They exfiltrated sensitive work place documents as well as scheduled to be released content dating to November 17th, 2023,” vx-underground explained.
• Activision has yet to comment on the reported breach.
• The company’s internal documents contain content roadmaps for the upcoming seasons of Call of Duty: Moderna Warfare II and Warzone 2. Some of the planned updates will allegedly include new operators, weapons, maps, and in-game events.
• No user data doesn’t appear to have been compromised in the attack.

Also worth noting that the Threat Actor(s) did attempt to phish other employees. Other employees did not fall for the phish. However, it appears they did not report the security incident to the Activision Information Security Team pic.twitter.com/24HDC9TNQK

— vx-underground (@vxunderground) February 20, 2023

• Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson has confirmed the data breach, saying that it also contains information about new Call of Duty games codenamed Jupiter (2023) and Cerberus (2024).
• The personal data of Activision employees has also been compromised, including full names, phone numbers, emails, addresses, etc.
• The hacker reportedly managed to breach an HR employee’s computer, gaining access to employee details and other internal data.

In September 2022, over 500,000 Activision accounts were reportedly hacked, with log-ins being leaked publicly. The company, however, later denied the information, saying that Call of Duty accounts haven’t been compromised.

In other Activision Blizzard-related news, the publisher recently posted record quarterly bookings of $3.57 billion. This was largely due to the strong growth of the Blizzard operating segment, with the Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch franchises reaching over $100 million in net bookings each in the quarter.

The company is also still waiting for regulators’ decision on Microsoft’s proposed acquisition. On February 21, the Redmond-based corporation will take part in a closed hearing to defend the $68.7 billion deal against the European Commission. The merger is also under scrutiny in the US, where the FTC has sued to block it, and the UK, where the CMA recently offered Microsoft to acquire only a part of Activision Blizzard (e.g. without Call of Duty or Blizzard).