According to a site that details data-related cybersecurity incidents, a Grand Theft Auto modder's data breach from October 2022 has exposed over 100,000 email addresses. Incidentally, this marks the second time within the same period that the franchise was associated with a data breach after GTA 6 leaked online in 2022.Back in September 2022, several clips of the upcoming GTA 6 were leaked on YouTube after Rockstar Games was reportedly compromised. While the content has since been removed, the leak meant that fans were inadvertently served footage of an unfinished version of one of the most anticipated titles from Rockstar Games. Take-Two's CEO called the GTA 6 leak "emotional" where the executive claims the incident could impact the business in the future. Though now it looks like this wasn't the only GTA-related security incident to happen in the year.As per one of the most recent entries on Have I Been Pwned, about 101,000 emails from GTA mod menu provider RealDudesInc were breached back in October 2022. While the site claims many of these addresses were temporary guest emails, the leaked data includes usernames and bcrypt password hashes. Further, Have I Been Pwned states that 16% of this leaked data was already on the site, which would mean a chunk of these account details were likely compromised in some other form through previous data breaches.
Of course, it's worth noting that GTA isn't the only gaming entity that has fallen victim to cybersecurity incidents. In fact, back in early 2022, Ubisoft suffered a breach that temporarily impacted its games and some of its services. Thankfully, no data appeared to have leaked during the incident. Then in November of the same year, retailer GameStop reportedly suffered a data breach. Although the company claimed that no such breach occurred at the time.
While the October incident pertains to a third party, the fact that the GTA franchise and its fanbase have been the target of a data breach on two occasions in a two-month span doesn't bode well. As of now, it's unclear how much of an impact this particular breach will have on the community, particularly considering the active participation of modders within GTA. While fan expectations over the next installment of the GTA will likely remain high, as to how the future will pan out for the popular franchise, only time will tell.