San Francisco 49ers, Victims of a Ransomware Attack

BlackByte Group has claimed responsibility for the attack on the NFL team, although it has not specified its claims or how much data it has stolen or encrypted

Richmond – IN San Francisco 49ers They were victims of a cyber attack, in which cybercriminals claimed to have stolen financial data from the club.

ransomware suite Black ByteRecently, some documents allegedly stolen on a dark website are in a file marked “2020 Bills”. The group has not made its demands public and has not specified how much data it has stolen or encrypted.

The team, which is among the most valuable and traditional franchises in the Middle East NFL, which lost a close playoff two weeks ago, said in a statement on Sunday that it had recently learned of a “network security incident” that broke into some of its companies’ IT networks. the 49ers They said they informed the authorities and hired security companies to help.

“So far, we have no indication that this incident involved systems outside the company’s network, such as those connected to our operations Levi’s Stadium “Referring to its stadium,” the club said in a statement.

The news of the attack comes two days after the attack FBI and the Secret Service Issue a ransomware alert for Black Bytenoting that it has “put at risk many domestic and foreign companies, including entities in at least three sectors critical to US infrastructure”, since November.

Ransomware gangs, which hack targets and hold information hostage through encryption, caused widespread havoc last year with high-profile attacks on the world’s largest meatpacking company, the world’s largest fuel distributor, the United States, and other targets. Western Hemisphere governments have promised to stop cybercriminals operating in and around Russiabut it showed few results.

Last month, victims of ransomware included marine fuel depot operators in Belgium s Germany, and the news media in Portugal. The cyber attack on wireless carrier Vodafone in Portugal last week had all the hallmarks of ransomware, although the company’s CEO Portugal He said he has not received any lawsuits.

Black Byte It is a ransomware as a service company. This means that it is decentralized, with independent operators developing malware, hacking organizations, or playing other roles. It is part of the trend of ransomware groups becoming more professional. recent report from FBIAnd The National Security Agency And others note that ransomware operators are setting up a mediation system to resolve payment disputes between them.

Brit Calloa risk analyst at cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, said the malware from Black Bytelike many ransomware variants, is not coded to encrypt systems that use Russian and other languages ​​used by allies Russia.

But, Kal He said This does not mean that whoever is behind the attack on the 49ers is in Russia or one of his allies.

“Anyone can use malware to launch attacks,” he said.