How attackers gained insider level control and why it matters for the future of live service security
When a live service game collapses in real time, you can usually trace the cause to a bug, a misconfigured update, or a sudden infrastructure failure. What happened to Rainbow Six Siege at the end of December 2025 was something entirely different. This was a moment when attackers reached so deeply into the game that they operated with the same level of authority as Ubisoft staff. They banned players, unbanned others, injected billions of premium credits into accounts, and even hijacked internal moderation systems. It was a surreal event that played out publicly across millions of players and forced Ubisoft to shut the entire game down while they tried to regain control.
This was not a typical exploit. It was a full scale compromise of internal systems that looked and behaved exactly like an insider threat event, even though there is no evidence that an actual employee was involved at this time.
A Breach That Broke the Game in Broad Daylight
The chaos began on the morning of December 27 when players logged in and discovered that something was very wrong. Some accounts showed zero R6 Credits. Others showed billions. Some players were suddenly banned. Others were unbanned. Many found their inventories filled with rare cosmetics and developer only skins that had never been released to the public.
Engadget reported that players were receiving billions of credits and ultra rare skins while bans and unbans were being issued at random. BleepingComputer confirmed that attackers were able to abuse internal systems to ban and unban players, manipulate the in game moderation feed, and grant massive amounts of premium currency and cosmetic items worldwide. Neowin described the event as a major breach that impacted servers, players, the marketplace, and possibly other areas of Ubisoft infrastructure.
The most visible sign of compromise was the ban ticker. This is a system that normally displays anti cheat enforcement messages. During the breach, it began broadcasting memes, jokes, and even song lyrics. Ubisoft later clarified that the ban ticker had been disabled in a previous update and that none of the messages were legitimate. In other words, attackers were injecting messages directly into a system that should not have been accessible to players at all.
This was not a client-side exploit. This was server-side control.
Ubisoft Shuts Everything Down
Within hours, Ubisoft took the extraordinary step of shutting down Rainbow Six Siege entirely. The servers went offline across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. The in game marketplace was disabled. The company announced that it was performing a rollback of all transactions that occurred after 11 AM UTC on December 27 and that nobody would be punished for spending the credits they received during the breach.
Engadget noted that Ubisoft was performing extensive quality control tests to ensure account integrity before bringing the game back online. ComicBook reported that the game remained offline for more than 24 hours while Ubisoft attempted to unwind the damage and validate the rollback.
This was not a simple fix. Ubisoft had to reconstruct the state of the game from before the breach and verify that no corrupted data remained. That level of caution is only necessary when attackers have reached deep into backend systems.
How Attackers Operated With Insider Level Power
Even without confirmed details from Ubisoft, the behavior of the attackers tells us exactly what kind of access they had.
They could ban and unban players
This requires privileged access to internal moderation tools. BleepingComputer confirmed that attackers were able to issue bans and unbans through internal systems.
They could grant billions of premium credits
15,000 R6 Credits cost $99.99. Two billion credits is equivalent to more than 13 million dollars worth of premium currency. No client side exploit can mint that kind of value. This required access to Ubisoft’s economy systems.
They could unlock developer only skins
These items are not stored on player devices. They exist only in Ubisoft’s backend. Attackers were able to assign them to accounts at will.
They could manipulate the ban ticker
Ubisoft confirmed that the ticker was disabled and that none of the messages were legitimate. This means attackers were interacting with internal systems that should not have been reachable from the outside.
They bypassed anti-cheat and integrity controls
ComicBook reported that players could spend their billions of credits as long as they did not trigger anti-cheat marketplace monitoring. The fact that attackers could inject currency without triggering enforcement indicates server-side compromise.
Every one of these actions is normally restricted to internal staff. The attackers were not just exploiting a bug. They were operating with insider level authority.
The MongoBleed Theory
Widely reported but not confirmed
While Ubisoft has not disclosed the root cause of the breach, one theory has gained significant traction in the security community. BleepingComputer reported that threat actors claimed to have exploited a recently disclosed MongoDB vulnerability known as MongoBleed, tracked as CVE 2025 14847. This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to leak memory from exposed MongoDB instances, potentially revealing credentials and authentication keys.
According to unverified claims cited by BleepingComputer, multiple unrelated threat groups may have targeted Ubisoft:
- One group allegedly exploited a Rainbow Six Siege service to manipulate bans and inventories
- A second group allegedly used MongoBleed to pivot into internal Git repositories and steal decades of source code
- A third group allegedly stole user data and attempted extortion
- A fourth group disputed some of these claims and suggested that source code access had existed for some time
None of these claims have been independently verified. Ubisoft has not confirmed any data breach, source code theft, or exploitation of MongoBleed.
However, if MongoBleed was involved, it would explain how attackers gained the kind of access that allowed them to behave like insiders.
What Ubisoft Has Confirmed
Ubisoft has confirmed only the following:
- Attackers abused internal systems to manipulate bans, inventories, and currency
- The ban ticker messages were not legitimate
- A rollback was required to restore account integrity
- No players would be punished for spending the injected credits
- The game and marketplace were intentionally shut down to contain the incident
Ubisoft has not confirmed:
- Any data breach
- Any source code theft
- Any exploitation of MongoBleed
- Any compromise beyond Rainbow Six Siege’s live systems
This is important because the community has been flooded with speculation. The only confirmed facts relate to the in game abuse.
Why This Incident Matters for Cybersecurity
The Rainbow Six Siege breach is a perfect example of how external attackers can achieve insider level impact without any insider involvement. It highlights several critical lessons for modern security programs.
1. Backend services are the new crown jewels
Attackers did not need to compromise player devices. They went straight for the systems that control bans, inventories, and currency.
2. Live service games are high value targets
With millions of players and real money economies, games like Siege are attractive to attackers who want financial leverage, notoriety, or both.
3. Vulnerabilities in supporting infrastructure can cascade
If MongoBleed was involved, it shows how a single exposed database can become a pivot point into an entire ecosystem.
4. Insider threat style access can be achieved externally
This is the most important lesson. You do not need a malicious employee to experience an insider threat event. You only need attackers who gain access to the same systems insiders use.
The Bottom Line
The Rainbow Six Siege breach was one of the most dramatic live service compromises in recent memory. Attackers gained control over core systems that should never be exposed to the public. They operated with the same authority as Ubisoft staff, even though there is no evidence of insider involvement. Ubisoft was forced to shut the game down, roll back transactions, and rebuild trust with a massive global player base.
Whether the root cause was a backend service exploit, a MongoDB vulnerability, or something else entirely, the impact was the same. External attackers achieved insider level power.
For security professionals, this incident is a reminder that insider threat is not just about people. It is about access. Whoever controls your internal systems controls your business.
Sources
Engadget. Ubisoft is rolling back Rainbow Six Siege servers after being forced to shut them down. https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-is-rolling-back-rainbow-six-siege-servers-after-being-forced-to-shut-them-down-191049440.html
BleepingComputer. Massive Rainbow Six Siege breach gives players billions of credits. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/massive-rainbow-six-siege-breach-gives-players-billions-of-credits
ComicBook. Rainbow Six Siege is still down 24 hours later. https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/rainbow-six-siege-is-still-down-24-hours-later-heres-everything-we-know
Neowin. Hackers breach Ubisoft Siege servers. https://www.neowin.net/news/hackers-breach-ubisofts-siege-servers-flood-players-with-premium-currency-and-bans
iPhone in Canada. Ubisoft hack breaks Rainbow Six Siege. https://www.iphoneincanada.ca/2025/12/28/ubisoft-hack-breaks-rainbow-six-siege-servers-still-offline
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