American video game publisher 2K Games, Inc. (also known as 2K) on Tuesday confirmed that its helpdesk platform has been hijacked and the hacker is sending out fake support tickets with malware to consumers via embedded links.
The company has warned its users to be wary of any phishing emails that they receive from their customer support service.
“Earlier today, we became aware that an unauthorized third party illegally accessed the credentials of one of our vendors to the help desk platform that 2K uses to provide support to our customers,” 2K’s customer support account tweeted on Tuesday.
“The unauthorized party sent a communication to certain players containing a malicious link. Please do not open any emails or click on any links that you receive from the 2K Games support account.”
The tweet then goes on to advise those who might have clicked on the malicious link to immediately take the following steps out of an abundance of caution:
- Reset any user account passwords stored in your web browser (e.g., Chrome AutoFill)
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) whenever available, especially on personal email, banking, and phone or Internet provider accounts. If possible, avoid using MFA that relies on text message verification – using an authenticator app would be the most secure method
- Install and run a reputable anti-virus program
- Check your account settings to see if any forwarding rules have been added or changed on your personal email accounts
The message reiterated that 2K personnel will never ask for passwords or other personal information.
2K added that its support portal will remain offline while it continues to investigate and address the matter. The video publisher said it would issue an additional notice to its users once it is safe and has returned back online.
“We will issue a notice when you can resume interacting with official 2K help desk emails, and we will also follow-up with additional information as to how you can best protect yourself against any malicious activity,” 2K added.
“We deeply apologize for any inconvenience and disruption that this matter may cause. We appreciate the ongoing support and understanding from our player communities.”
Hey folks, please read an important message from our Customer Support team. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/yKI18eL7mY
— 2K Support (@2KSupport) September 20, 2022
2K is the publisher behind numerous popular game franchises, including NBA 2K, Borderlands, Top Spin, WWE 2K, PGA Tour 2K, Bioshock, Civilization, Xcom, and more.
This news follows after sister company Rockstar Games was recently hacked where subsequent leaks of early Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6 gameplay were downloaded and leaked to the web over last weekend.
It is worth noting that 2K Games and Rockstar Games, are owned by the same company, Take-Two Interactive, one of the largest video game publishers across the Americas and Europe.
Following the leak, Rockstar Games issued a statement, confirming that the leak was legitimate and was the result of a “network intrusion.”
The company has assured its players that it wouldn’t impact the quality of the game when it arrives. It said it does not anticipate “any disruption to our live game services nor any long-term effect on the development of our ongoing projects.”
