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Image via Riot Games

Riot hit with $10 million blackmail demand from League of Legends source code hackers

An amateaur-level hack might have cost Riot Games milions.

Riot Games has been asked to pay $10 million as a ransom for stolen source code following a cyber attack that allegedly took place on Jan. 17, according to Motherboard. The ransom mail was sent to the company’s directors and it threatened to release stolen files as well as share the extent of the breach in Riot’s system. 

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In the alleged mail obtained by the media outlet, hackers requested the company pay $10 million or they’d publicly share the valuable data obtained during the attack. Riot has, however, since made it clear it has no intention of meeting the attackers’ request in a statement shared on the company’s official Twitter account on Jan. 24.

In the same communication, Riot confirmed to have received a ransom mail, however, it did not disclose the content of the hacker’s letter. Through the letter, hackers allegedly provided proof of having acquired the valuable data and shared a link to a Telegram group chat through which they suggested Riot communicate. 

Related: Riot says League source code stolen in cyber attack, now being held for ransom

Listing the valuable data stolen, the hackers included a “precious” anti-cheat source code, the entire game code for League of Legends and its tools, and the usermode anti-cheat called “Packman.” In return for payment, the attackers said they will immediately remove all source code from their servers and guarantee the files will never be released to the public. 

“We do not wish to harm your reputation or cause public disturbance. Our sole motivation is financial gain,” the letter read, before giving Riot a deadline of 12 hours, which has already expired at this point. 

The hackers then pointed out that despite Riot taking great pride in its security measures, they were able to breach through it with an “amateur-level hack.” The attackers also said they’d provide Riot with more insight into how they made this attack possible as well as offer advice on how to prevent future breaches if the ransom was paid. 

The letter can be found here.


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Author
Image of Cecilia Ciocchetti
Cecilia Ciocchetti
Freelance writer mainly focusing on the League of Legends and VALORANT esports scenes. Sometimes at events interviewing professionals of the scene, from players to the talented people working behind the curtains. You can reach out to me via Twitter.