In the world of video games, leaks and spoilers usually come from disgruntled developers or those in the know about upcoming releases. This time, however, a ransomware collective has provided us with inside information on Marvel's Wolverine and other games currently in development by Insomniac Games.

As Engadget reported, the Rhysida ransomware group has posted online 1.3 million files, or about 1.7 terabytes of data, stolen from Insomniac Games. Just a week ago, these cybercriminals hacked into the game developer's systems and infected them with ransomware.

After the hack, Rhysida launched a public auction of all this stolen data on its website, with an asking price of $2 million in bitcoins. Unfortunately for the ransomware group, however, there were no interested buyers. After the site's clock ran out, Rhysida decided to publicly post the stolen data instead. Among these 1.3 million files were internal HR documents, screenshots of Slack conversations between employees, etc.

While these internal documents could be used in targeted phishing attacks against Insomniac employees or for identity theft, most people will be interested in the new information revealed about the studio's upcoming game, Wolverine. The file itself contains details about the level design, characters, and screenshots of the game itself.

Wolverine is not the only superhero game in the X-Men universe that Insomniac is currently working on, but a signed publishing agreement between Sony and Marvel reveals that this is only the first of three X-Men games The leaked documents reveal that the game is only the first of three X-Men games. The leaked documents also reveal that Sony plans to spend $120 million per game, with "Wolverine" to be released by September 1, 2025. The other two unannounced games will be released in 2029 and 2033, respectively.

According to Statista data, ransomware attacks, which seemed to be on the decline last year, are making a comeback this year as cybercriminals are once again hacking and holding corporate systems hostage.

But as with data breaches, the companies themselves are not the only ones bearing the brunt of these attacks. Some companies decide to pay a ransom to get their locked files back, but this is not recommended because there is no guarantee that the criminals will actually release the files.

In the past few years, however, we have seen cybercriminals create their own data leak sites and name and shame companies that refuse to comply with their demands. This usually involves all the data they have stolen being published online, which can not only hurt the companies themselves, but also affect their customers. Even if you have done nothing wrong, your personal information could be published online.

Now that cybercriminals are once again turning their attention to ransomware and targeting large companies like Insomniac Games, we will see more attacks like this heading into 2024. While there is not much we can do in advance, we need to be proactive if we learn that a company we do business with has been hacked or is under ransomware attack. From changing your passwords to checking your bank accounts for signs of fraud, these small steps can help prevent you from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft.

Now that we have more information about Insomniac's upcoming X-Men games, we will hear more about them sooner or later. As for the hack itself, Sony will probably lock down first-party studios to prevent details of the best PS5 games from being leaked early.