CD Projekt RED Using DMCA Strikes to Curb Spread of Stolen Game Code

Following a ransomware attack earlier this month, CD Projekt RED appears to have begun issuing DMCA strikes to curb the spread of GWENT‘s source code.

The hackers claimed to have stolen the source codes for GWENT, Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, and an unreleased version of The Witcher III. However, they only publicly distributed the code for GWENT in an attempt to pressure CD Projekt RED to come to the negotiating table. When the studio didn’t budge, the hackers auctioned the codes for Cyberpunk 2077 and both versions of The Witcher III, which were reportedly sold to an anonymous buyer for a considerable sum of money on the condition that the codes will not be distributed.

According to VICE, Twitter users who shared links to GWENT‘s source code were issued with a notice that stated in part:

Description of infringement: Illegally obtained source code of GWENT: The Witcher Card Game. Posted without authorization, not intended to be released to the public.

The tweets were replaced with Twitter’s standard text stating that they have been “withheld in response to a report from the copyright holder.”

CD Projekt RED has not responded to reports about the auction. Following the attack, the studio said that it has secured its IT infrastructure and is working with relevant authorities to investigate the hack. Digital privacy experts have suggested that the possibility of the attack being an inside job is “plausible.”

If concluded, the outcome of CD Projekt RED’s investigation has not been made public yet.

[Source: VICE]

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