BioWare offers forum hacking apology
Hack was "highly sophisticated" but no credit card information compromised
BioWare Edmonton general manager Aaryn Flynn has apologised to Neverwinter Nights fans for the forum hacking incident last week, while insisting that only a "very small percentage of total users" were affected.
Flynn described that attack as "highly sophisticated and unlawful", but in an email to users attempted to assure them that "we take the security of your information very seriously and regret any inconvenience this may have caused you".
The attack last week was on the Neverwinter Nights forums, although it remains unclear whether the aging Dungeons & Dragons title was targeted because of a disgruntled fan or simply because it was using outdated security technology.
According to BioWare 18,000 accounts were affected but credit card information was not compromised. User names, encrypted passwords, email addresses, mailing addresses, names, phone numbers, CD keys and birth dates were stolen though.
BioWare also admits that if the older accounts were linked to new EA accounts then they may also have been compromised. As a result BioWare has forced password changes for new games such as Mass Effect and Dragon Age.
"While we have security controls in place, even the best software and processes can’t keep up with hackers 100 per cent of the time," says an EA FAQ.
"We have moved swiftly to implement additional security controls to prevent this type of breach from happening again to secure your data and are conducting further evaluations now."
The BioWare attack is merely one of many in recent weeks, including not just Sony but also Nintendo, Bethesda, Codemasters, Sega, Minecraft, CCP and Square Enix.