Cyberattacks in the gaming sector have increased 260% in just the first quarter of this year. Although such attacks may sound frivolous in comparison to those that have taken down infrastructure and paralyzed hospitals, this uptake in cyberattacks should be a wake-up call for sectors all around and to any company that handles personal data or money. These attacks are increasingly carried out by state-backed Chinese and North Korean hackers as well as sophisticated malicious civilian actors. This is a strong warning signal that no company, organization or sector is immune to state-backed attacks, no matter how minor or strategically uninteresting they may view themselves.
In the eyes of North Korea, under severe sanctions, or China, increasingly under economic strain, these gaming companies are de facto financial companies. This is due to their handling of large amounts of money or personal data that can be sold for money on the Dark Web, making them valuable and practical targets for those looking to gain access to money.
