Cyber Incident Victim: Activision Blizzard
Date:
Aug 2017
Location:
United States of America
Summary
A massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack targeted the company's web servers, causing widespread disconnections and latency issues across multiple games including World of Warcraft and Overwatch. The incident disrupted authentication servers—resulting in failed or delayed login attempts—and temporarily disabled PayPal payment processing capabilities. This marked the second service disruption within a week, following earlier connectivity problems during a major game event launch. Network providers reported the attack significantly impacted server connections and website functionality, with users experiencing inconsistent access despite shared network environments.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
Blizzard Entertainment experienced significant service disruptions beginning August 13, 2017, when distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks targeted its infrastructure. The company first acknowledged issues through its customer support Twitter account, reporting investigations into authentication server problems that caused failed or delayed login attempts for games including World of Warcraft and Overwatch. Within minutes, Blizzard confirmed a DDoS attack against its network providers was responsible for connection latency and disconnections across its gaming platforms. Initial user reports via DownDetector indicated service degradation starting at approximately 11:28 AM EDT, with widespread complaints about website accessibility, login failures, and inconsistent server connectivity—some users couldn’t log in while others on the same networks could. The attacks persisted throughout the weekend, compounding operational challenges as technical teams worked to mitigate the network congestion.
The DDoS attacks also impaired transactional systems, temporarily disabling PayPal as a payment option for Blizzard services, which the company separately acknowledged while apologizing for the inconvenience. This marked the second major service interruption within a week, following an unrelated outage on August 9 during the launch of Overwatch’s Summer Games 2017 event. Blizzard maintained continuous Twitter updates about both the DDoS mitigation efforts and payment system issues but did not disclose technical details about attack vectors, scale, or perpetrators. User reports highlighted persistent connectivity problems despite the company’s containment measures, though no data breaches or compromises of player accounts were mentioned. Service stability gradually improved following the weekend attacks, though the incident underscored vulnerabilities in Blizzard’s network infrastructure during high-traffic periods.