An infamous Russian hacker group claims it has successfully breached the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Security researchers say the ransomware group LockBit claims it has accessed 33 terabytes of “juicy banking information containing Americans’ banking secrets.”
The group says it’s holding the data hostage, demanding the Federal Reserve pay a bounty to keep the information under wraps.
“You better hire another negotiator within 48 hours, and fire this clinical idiot who values Americans’ bank secrecy at $50,000.”
The Fed has not released a response to the claims nor confirmed whether its infrastructure has been breached.
Security experts say they’re dismissing LockBit’s claims unless and until the group posts proof of the alleged hack online.
LockBit has executed highly disruptive cyberattacks on banks, governments and organizations for years, and the U.S. Department of State recently announced a multi million-dollar reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone involved in LockBit’s operation.
“The Department of State is announcing reward offers totaling up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of any individual participating in a LockBit ransomware variant attack…
Since January 2020, LockBit actors have executed over 2,000 attacks against victims in the United States, and around the world, causing costly disruptions to operations and the destruction or exfiltration of sensitive information. More than $144 million in ransom payments have been made to recover from LockBit ransomware events.”
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