Resident Evil 9 D Encryption Cracked Within One Hour of Release
The digital rights management protection for Resident Evil 9: Requiem has been compromised in record time, with hackers bypassing the game’s D encryption within just one hour of its official launch. According to reports, the hacking group led by KiriGiri successfully circumvented the anti-piracy measures using hypervisor technology that works with both AMD and Intel processors. This achievement matches the group’s previous claim that they could crack such protections within one day to a week, setting a new benchmark for how quickly D encryption can be defeated. The incident has reignited discussions about the effectiveness of current anti-piracy strategies on PC platforms.
Resident Evil 9: Requiem employed a comprehensive five-layer security system that included platform-based protection, Denuvo encryption, Capcom’s proprietary DRM, VMProtect virtualization protection, and additional encryption layers. Despite this multi-faceted approach designed to prevent unauthorized access, the hacking team managed to find vulnerabilities that allowed them to bypass all these protections simultaneously. The speed of the breach is particularly notable given the complexity of the security measures implemented by Capcom for this major franchise release.
Resident Evil 9: Requiem launched on February 27, 2026, across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2 platforms. The game represents the ninth mainline installment in the long-running survival horror series and was positioned as a “requiem” celebrating the franchise’s 30th anniversary. Capcom developed the title as a tribute to the series’ history, making the rapid security breach particularly significant for both the developer and the gaming industry at large.
The unprecedented speed of this security breach raises serious questions about the viability of current anti-piracy technologies for major game releases. While D encryption has been a standard protection method for years, this incident demonstrates that determined hacking groups can now defeat it almost immediately upon a game’s release. The gaming industry may need to reconsider its approach to digital rights management, especially for high-profile titles that attract significant attention from both legitimate players and those seeking to circumvent purchase requirements. This development serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing battle between content protection and piracy in the digital gaming space.
