The deadline is today…
A Russian-based ransomware group responsible for deploying malicious software to cybercriminals is claiming to have stolen files in the Georgia election case against Donald Trump.
The group, LockBit, is threatening to dump everything it has online today unless U.S. government officials pay a ransom. The details of their demands aren’t publicly known.
LockBit’s announcement came after an international law enforcement coalition managed to seize control of the gang’s public-facing applications last week before they resurfaced on the dark web.
In a letter, the group’s leader, known as LockBitSupp, wrote: “The stolen documents contain a lot of interesting things and Donald Trump’s court cases that could affect the upcoming US election.”
The syndicate is responsible for hacking over 2,000 computer systems worldwide – including Fulton County, Georgia’s government websites.
Cybersecurity reporter Christopher Krebs has the latest:
In early February, Fulton County leaders acknowledged they were responding to an intrusion that caused disruptions for its phone, email and billing systems, as well as a range of county services, including court systems.
On Feb. 13, the LockBit ransomware group posted on its victim shaming blog a new entry for Fulton County, featuring a countdown timer saying the group would publish the data on Feb. 16 unless county leaders agreed to negotiate a ransom.
“We will demonstrate how local structures negligently handled information protection,” LockBit warned. “We will reveal lists of individuals responsible for confidentiality. Documents marked as confidential will be made publicly available. We will show documents related to access to the state citizens’ personal data. We aim to give maximum publicity to this situation; the documents will be of interest to many. Conscientious residents will bring order.”
Yet on Feb. 16, the entry for Fulton County was removed from LockBit’s site without explanation. This usually only happens after the victim in question agrees to pay a ransom demand and/or enters into negotiations with their extortionists.
However, Fulton County commissioners claim that they could not pay the ransom in good conscience, especially with taxpayer money.
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