Ransomware gang REvil claims $ 50 million from Taiwanese computer maker Acer, says Bleeping computer, The record and other sources, and he may have tapped a Microsoft Exchange vulnerability to enter the corporate network. This is one of the biggest – if not the biggest – ransomware requests to date, probably because Acer is a large company that reported nearly $ 3 billion in profits for the fourth quarter of 2020.
The group, which was also behind the $ 6 million ransomware attack on Travelex last year, announced that he had raped Acer on a dark web portal earlier this week, even posting it with images for proof. This apparently gives the company until March 28 to pay before disclosing the data it stole from the web. In a conversation between REvil and an Acer representative who Bleeping computer Seen, the hackers offered the company a 20% discount if the payment was made last Wednesday.
When asked about the situation, Acer did not admit it was a ransomware attack, saying only Bleeping computer in a statement that he “reported recent observed abnormal situations to law enforcement and data protection authorities in several countries.” It was Advanced Intel’s Andariel cyber intelligence platform that linked the security flaw to a Microsoft Exchange vulnerability. If you remember, Microsoft recently patches released for four Exchange vulnerabilities exploited by bad actors. A Chinese state is believed to be behind most of the attacks involving the stock market’s loopholes, but other groups may have benefited as well.
