One of the world’s largest hardware gaming companies, Razer, has suffered a data breach. The attack, which came to light on Saturday, has led to a significant amount of data being stolen. It was reported that the stolen data is already being offered for sale on various forums. Some advertisements shared on Saturday stated that the data in question could be sold for up to 100,000 US dollars.
Razer Hacked: Ransom Demanded in Cryptocurrency
Razer announced that they were aware of the potential data leak and are currently investigating the matter. According to information shared by The Straits Times, even some source codes and backend access data were leaked. This poses a significant risk for Razer’s website and products.
It is suggested that the leaked data includes files from Razer’s digital wallet, which was launched in March 2017 and provides access to the Razer Gold service. These files contain very critical data, such as the encryption keys of Razer’s reward system. Sample data viewed by The Straits Times indicated that it includes information up to the virtual credit card numbers of customers with Razer Gold accounts. The attacker selling the data claims to have information from 404,000 accounts, but this claim has yet to be confirmed.
Hacker Demands XMR
In one of the hacker forums, the seller emphasizes that they will sell this data to only one buyer. The price is 100,000 dollars worth of cryptocurrency, particularly Monero (XMR). Monero is favored for its privacy features, which could be the primary reason for the attacker’s choice. Although the attacker set the price at 100,000 dollars, they added to their ad that they might negotiate for lower prices.
The fact that the attacker demands XMR underlines why recent pressures on privacy-focused cryptocurrencies were sensible. Although cryptocurrencies have various use cases, those like XMR, which provide complete privacy, contribute to the perception that the industry is only related to crime and similar actions. Regulators have taken action against privacy-focused cryptocurrencies for this reason.
