The 2020 Capcom Cyberattack May Have Been More Dire Than You Realized

Capcom has struggled ever since the company endured a cyberattack in November 2020, but the situation might be more serious than fans initially thought. Initially, Capcom reported that the attack did not compromise any customer information, including payment information, and that the only casualty of the attack was the information for nine employees. IGN speculated that important game information might have been stolen as well, like data on the Monster Hunter series and Resident Evil 8: Village.

Longtime gamers will know Capcom from their many hits, including the Mega Man series, Monster Hunter, and an extensive fighting game library. It's even developing a new Ghosts 'n Goblins game. Capcom also has a new Resident Evil on the way. Resident Evil 8 promises a departure from previous games in the series and seems to have more in common with games like Bloodborne than Resident Evil 7. There's no doubt that Capcom is a historic game company, which makes their recent cyberattack, and its fallout, so worrisome.

Capcom has released a third report on the ransomware attack, and things aren't looking good. In the report, Capcom states, "The company has also ascertained that the potential maximum number of customers, business partners and other external parties etc., whose personal information may have been compromised in the attack is approximately 390,000 people." For those keeping track, that's 40,000 more accounts than Capcom's previous report.

The report goes on to say that there's an open investigation into the attack and that more information might be discovered as the investigation continues. Capcom maintains that no credit card information has been compromised because it uses third-party providers for all transactions. Capcom's online play servers have not been affected.

The investigation will continue, as Capcom promises to collaborate with law enforcement in both the US and Japan to get to the bottom of the attack. Capcom also noted that its "internal systems have in large part recovered, and business operations have returned to normal." That's good news for Capcom fans who want to return to gaming as usual.

Capcom's report ends with its sincere apology for the attack and a promise to do better in the future. While the cyberattack came as a shock to fans, and while leaks of information are always upsetting, Capcom devotees can rest assured that the company is doing everything it can to improve the user experience and make things safer for its customers.