‘Ransomed.vc’ ransomware gang claims to have hacked Sony | #hacking | #cybersecurity | #infosec | #comptia | #pentest | #hacker

A ransomware gang going by the name of Ransomed.vc has claimed to have hacked Sony Group Corp. and is offering for sale the data it has stolen.

The claimed hack was first reported by Cybersecurity Connect, which writes that the Ransomed.vc ransomware gang has only been operating for a short time. Ransomed.vc is reported to have included some proof-of-hack data, but it’s noted as not being compelling information.

The group is said to have originally posted the details of the hack on both their regular internet site and dark web site; however, the group’s regular site has been taken offline along with its social media accounts. The hack is still listed on its dark web site (pictured above), with the group claiming to “have successfully compromissed [sic] all of sony systems” and that it is not interested in ransoming them versus wanting to sell the data.

The price being requested for the stolen is not listed, with the group asking would-be buyers to contact them on the Tox messaging service.

Sony is not the only company listed on the Ransomed.vc dark web site, with the group also claiming to have hacked Japanese mobile operator NTT Docomo and is demanding a ransom payment of $1.015 million to not related stolen data. There are also dozens of other victims listed on the site, although most are small companies, with a few exceptions.

Ransomed.vc first emerged in late August, with Incident Response Analyst Ron Kaminsky writing on LinkedIn that the group has adopted a unique tactic involving the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation. The group is said to threaten compromised companies with the prospect of GDPR fines after breaching their sites.

“In essence, ‘Ransomed VC is leveraging the fear of these substantial fines to extort money from companies,” Kaminsky explains. “This is an unusual approach, as most extortion or ransomware groups typically focus on encrypting data and demanding a ransom for its release, rather than exploiting data protection laws for financial gain.”

As of the time of writing, Sony has neither confirmed nor denied that they have been hacked by Ransomed.vc.

Presuming the claims by Ransomed.vc are true, this is not the first time that Sony has been hacked. The company was targeted by North Korean-linked hackers in 2014, causing it to delay the release of a movie about North Korea. The hack also resulted in network issues, the embarrassing exposure of internal correspondence and secrets, including financials and movie scripts and the release of the personal details of celebrities.

Image: Ransomed.vc/SiliconANGLE