GTA-maker Rockstar Games hacked again but downplays impact

Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games has been targeted for a second time in three years by hackers. The data breach affecting the gaming giant was reported by cybersecurity news outlets on Saturday, after a group of hackers claimed responsibility. In posts viewed by outlets, the criminals said they gained access to Rockstar servers managed by a third-party cloud provider and would publish stolen material online unless paid a ransom. However, Rockstar has downplayed the breach, telling the BBC "this incident has no impact on our organisation or our players". "We can confirm that a limited amount of non-material company information was accessed in connection with a third-party data breach," a Rockstar Games spokesperson said. The BBC has spoken to the hackers responsible for this latest breach, who called themselves ShinyHunters. They are a prolific group of English-speaking cybercriminals, thought to be in their teens, who specialise in data theft and extortion. They previously claimed to be behind a hack targeting gig ticket operator Ticketmaster. In the last two years the criminals have repeatedly broken into cloud storage systems used by major corporations and claim to have