Siege Offline: Ubisoft Halts Rainbow Six Siege Following Catastrophic “MongoBleed” Security Breach

The tactical shooter world was sent into a frenzy on December 27, 2025, as Ubisoft was forced to take the unprecedented step of shutting down Rainbow Six Siege worldwide. What began as reports of “glitched” accounts quickly unraveled into one of the most significant security breaches in modern gaming history. For nearly 48 hours, the game was unplayable as Ubisoft engineers fought to regain control of backend systems that were being openly manipulated by hackers to mock the company and destabilize the in-game economy.

While servers have begun a phased relaunch as of December 30, 2025, the community remains on high alert. This wasn’t just a simple server outage—it was a systemic collapse that has left millions of players questioning the safety of their digital data.

1. The Chaos: Billions in Credits and Mocking Ban Logs

The breach became public early Saturday morning when thousands of players logged in to find their accounts flooded with 2 billion R6 Credits and Renown—a windfall worth an estimated $13.3 million USD per account at retail prices.

However, the “gifts” were only the tip of the iceberg. The attackers demonstrated deep access to Ubisoft’s moderation tools:

• Hijacked Ban Ticker: The global in-game feed, which usually displays the names of banned cheaters, was hijacked to display lyrics, insults directed at Ubisoft leadership, and fraudulent ban messages.

• Massive “Dev Skin” Unlocks: Players found their inventories populated with ultra-rare items, including “Glacier” skins and developer-only cosmetics that are otherwise impossible to obtain.

• Arbitrary Bans: Several high-profile streamers and innocent players were hit with permanent bans by the attackers, while known cheaters were reportedly unbanned in mass waves.

2. The Vulnerability: What is “MongoBleed”?

Security researchers at Bleeping Computer and VX-Underground have identified the culprit as a critical vulnerability dubbed “MongoBleed” (CVE-2025-14847). This flaw reportedly allowed unauthenticated remote attackers to leak the memory of exposed MongoDB instances, which Ubisoft allegedly used for its backend authentication and game-management services.

Reports suggest up to four separate hacker groups may have been involved:

1. Group A: Focused on the in-game chaos (credits, skins, and ban ticker).

2. Group B: Allegedly used the breach to pivot into Ubisoft’s internal Git repositories, claiming to have stolen source code dating back to the 1990s.

3. Group C: Claimed to have harvested sensitive user data and is currently attempting to extort the company.

4. Group D: A separate entity claiming the breach was active for months and the “Siege Chaos” was merely a loud distraction to cover a larger data exfiltration.

Incident Timeline: The December 2025 Crisis

3. The Rollback and Recovery Plan

To save the game’s economy, Ubisoft has performed a global rollback of all transactions and account states to the pre-breach timestamp of December 27, 06:00 AM ET.

• No Bans for Spending: In a rare show of leniency, Ubisoft confirmed that players who spent the “hacked” credits before the shutdown will not face account sanctions.

• Lost Progress: Players who made legitimate purchases or earned significant rank points during the hours of the breach will unfortunately see that progress erased. Ubisoft has stated they will investigate individual claims over the next two weeks.

• Marketplace Closure: The R6 Marketplace—where players trade skins for credits—remains offline indefinitely until a full security audit of the transaction ledger is completed.

4. Security Recommendations for Players

While Ubisoft has not yet confirmed a breach of personal PII (Personally Identifiable Information), the nature of the “MongoBleed” exploit makes caution necessary. Cybersecurity experts recommend the following immediate actions:

1. Change Your Password: Update your Ubisoft Connect password and any other accounts that share the same credentials.

2. Enable 2FA: If you haven’t already, enable two-factor authentication via an authenticator app.

3. Unlink Payment Methods: Temporarily remove credit cards or PayPal accounts from your Ubisoft profile until a formal “All Clear” regarding database security is issued.

Conclusion: A Tainted Celebration

As Rainbow Six Siege enters its 11th year, this incident serves as a grim reminder of the vulnerabilities inherent in massive live-service ecosystems. While the game is technically “back online,” the psychological impact on the community and the potential theft of Ubisoft’s internal source code could have repercussions for years to come. For now, the “Siege” is over, but the rebuilding of player trust is only just beginning.

Sources and References:

• Ubisoft Official Support – “Rainbow Six Siege Incident Report” (Updated Dec 30, 2025).

• Bleeping Computer – “Massive Rainbow Six Siege Breach Gives Players Billions of Credits.”

• Engadget – “Ubisoft Re-opens Siege Servers Following Marketplace Hacks.”

• VX-Underground – Analysis of CVE-2025-14847 (MongoBleed) in Corporate Infrastructure.