Cyber Incident Victim: Blizzard Entertainment
Date:
Dec 2016
Location:
United States of America
Summary
Online gaming platforms including Battle.net experienced widespread disruptions due to distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks claimed by hacker groups Phantom Squad and PoodleCorp, occurring during a peak holiday gaming period. The attacks targeted multiple platforms simultaneously, causing server outages that prevented user access and sparked significant complaints from affected gamers. These groups had previously conducted similar operations against major gaming services, with PoodleCorp notably expanding its targets to include prominent online gaming infrastructure. The incident mirrored prior holiday-season disruptions attributed to the same actors, though official confirmations from the targeted companies were not immediately available during the ongoing attacks.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 2 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On December 23, 2016, online gaming platforms Steam, Origin, and Battle.net experienced widespread outages attributed to distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. The hacker groups Phantom Squad and PoodleCorp publicly claimed responsibility for these disruptions through social media posts, with PoodleCorp specifically referencing attacks on Blizzard Entertainment's Battle.net service alongside other major gaming platforms. These incidents occurred during the holiday season, continuing a pattern observed in prior years where gaming infrastructure was targeted during peak recreational periods. Users across affected platforms reported inability to access online services, prompting widespread complaints on Twitter and other social media channels. Down Detector, an outage monitoring service, independently verified service disruptions affecting Electronic Arts' Origin, Valve's Steam, and Blizzard's Battle.net platforms based on user-submitted reports.
The attacks disrupted Friday evening gaming activities for users globally, with particular frustration directed at Electronic Arts due to the timing coinciding with weekend leisure hours. Phantom Squad had previously targeted Steam and Electronic Arts servers during the 2015 holiday season, while PoodleCorp emerged more recently with attacks against PlayStation Network, League of Legends, and Pokémon GO infrastructure. Neither Blizzard Entertainment nor the other affected companies issued immediate public statements regarding the incidents at the time of initial reporting. The attackers did not disclose specific technical methodologies beyond claiming DDoS attacks, nor did they provide explicit motives beyond implied disruption of holiday gaming activities. Service status remained unstable as reports were published, with no confirmed restoration timelines from platform operators.