Cyber Incident Victim: Electronic Arts Inc.
Date:
Apr 2020
Location:
United States of America
Summary
EA Sports experienced a series of large-scale DDoS attacks causing global server outages and disrupting access to its Origin platform, online gaming services, and customer support systems. The gaming giant temporarily disabled match creation features in FIFA titles while investigating connectivity issues impacting multiple games. Although initial attacks were resolved, subsequent service disruptions occurred, affecting users across Europe, Canada, Egypt, and South Africa. The incident coincided with similar DDoS attacks targeting another major gaming company, compounding service interruptions during a period of heightened online activity due to widespread lockdowns.
| 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
On April 14, 2020, at approximately 4:19 PM GMT, EA Sports began experiencing service disruptions affecting its Origin platform, online gaming access, and EA Help support services. Customers globally, including high-profile users like Snoop Dogg, reported connectivity issues. EA Help acknowledged the problem via Twitter at 4:19 PM GMT, stating they were investigating. By 8:21 PM GMT, EA's FIFA Direct Communication account temporarily disabled match creation features in FUT and VOLTA FOOTBALL modes due to ongoing connectivity problems impacting multiple EA titles. The disruptions persisted into April 15, when at 1:25 AM GMT, EA Help confirmed the outage resulted from "a series of DDoS attacks" that had been resolved. However, at 9:00 AM GMT the same day, EA Help tweeted again about renewed service issues, indicating residual or renewed disruptions despite earlier mitigation efforts.
The attacks caused global server outages, with Down Detector's live map showing concentrated impacts across Europe and additional affected users in Canada, Egypt, and South Africa. The incident occurred during COVID-19 lockdowns when gaming served as a primary leisure activity for many. EA's response involved continuous Twitter updates, temporary feature disablements, and eventual attack mitigation, though service instability recurred hours after the initial resolution. The DDoS attacks coincided with similar disruptions at Blizzard Entertainment, which suffered worldwide service outages starting around 4:15 AM GMT on April 14. EA Sports restored core functionality but faced intermittent access problems throughout the incident period, impacting players' ability to purchase, launch, or play games online via Origin.