Activision allegedly suffered a security breach in December 2022

Call of Duty (COD) developer Activision was reportedly a victim of a phishing attack last December, resulting in the theft of sensitive documents and the release schedule for Modern Warfare II (MWII).

The details:

• According to malware library vx-underground, Activision suffered a breach in its security following a phishing attack on December 4, 2022. During the attack, the culprits were able to acquire "sensitive work place documents," as well as a schedule for the release of content for MWII up to November 2023.
• The attack was possible following a successful phishing attempt on an employee at the studio via a fake two-factor authentication text message. This gave the attacker the ability to access Activision’s general Slack channel and internal information. The incident was also not reported internally to its security team.
• In the tweet, vx-underground provides screenshots of the schedule, revealing the timeline for the game’s updates alongside the amount of content planned to be included, such as maps, weapons, and events. The schedule also includes mentions of another project codenamed "Jupiter." It’s believed that Jupiter is the upcoming 2023 COD title, with its alpha phase planned for late May or early June.
• No customer data was accessed or stolen, meaning Activision did not need to announce the breach to the public. However, it appears that the company did not warn employees of the situation internally.

Other recent Activision-Blizzard news:

• Remote employees at the publisher will be required to return to its physical offices in the coming months as full-time remote work is phased out by management. This has caused workers to take to social media to denounce the move, claiming that staff, especially lower-earners, have "pleaded" with the company to include cost of living adjustments to salaries.
• COD will reportedly receive a full title in 2023, despite initial reports that "premium DLC" was planned instead. The project will be led by Sledgehammer Games, with other COD studios working alongside the COD: Vanguard developer.
• The March date for Diablo IV’s beta was announced at IGN Fan Fest following a Blizzard executive’s teaser for its reveal. Players who have pre-ordered the action RPG will be given access between March 17 and 19, with the general public getting to play a week later between March 24 and 26.