Acer Hit by Ransomware - Hackers Want $50M
Acer fell victim to the REvil ransomware group responsible for the attack of several other companies over the past months, reported Bleeping Computer. The attackers are demanding $50 million from the company.
The ransomware gang was able to enter the company’s system and stole important files from the company. To prove the legitimacy of its demands, the group leaked some of the information on its “Happy Blog.”
Some of the sensitive info released by the gang includes bank balances and communications, and financial spreadsheets. In a statement, the tech giant said that big companies such as itself are often being attacked by malicious actors. To protect from such actions, “Acer routinely monitors its IT systems, and most cyberattacks are well defensed.”
The firm also revealed that it has filed reports regarding “abnormal situations observed to the relevant law enforcement and data protection authorities in multiples countries.”
Regarding its actions to address the current situation, Acer said, “We have been continuously enhancing our cybersecurity infrastructure to protect business continuity and our information integrity.”
The company added that it is currently investigating the matter, which prevents it from disclosing more details. The ransom demand is considered the highest by the gang, which ordered the payment in Monero. The approximate amount of $50 million is equal to around XMR 214,151 in the said cryptocurrency. The former highest ransom is $30 million demanded by REvil from Dairy Farm.
The Microsoft Connection
Bleeping Computer also revealed that the group attacked a Microsoft Exchange server associated with Acer. According to cybersecurity expert Vitali Kremez, “Advanced Intel’s Andariel cyberintelligence system detected that one particular REvil affiliate pursued Microsoft Exchange weaponization.”
Bleeping Computer noted that the DearCry ransomware has also exploited the ProxyLogin bug in Microsoft Exchange. However, this group’s attack is smaller in scale compared to REvil. The cybersecurity-focused outlet also remarked, “Of REvil did exploit the recent Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities to steal data or encrypt devices, it would be the first time one of the big game-hunting ransomware operations used this attack vector.”
SC Magazine and Bleeping Computer attempted to contact the company but it refused to answer. It also did not provide verifications that the attack was possible through a vulnerability in the Microsoft Exchange servers. Meanwhile, the company recommended that other organizations assess their ransomware risk to minimize any avenues for malicious actors to attack.
Senior Member
Posts: 8230
Joined: 2010-11-16
Obviously didn't mean it in an absolute 100% sense. Compared to traditional ransoms it's a galaxy more difficult for cops to deal with.
Just because criminals are not complete Mor(m)ons riding in open horse drawn carriages across the main street and abducting people in broad daylight, we should ban any technology that you feel is very useful to criminals.
Are you fukin kiddin me? No - you are dead serious.
Look.,.. you accepted the challenge of proving that crypto is to be blamed for Acer being blackmailed. Instead of proving it, you have offered nothing but your personal opinions and value judgments.
Then there is hypocrisy of using 3080 OC and complaining about other peoples use of electricity.
I showed you raw data proving that richest 10-percenters, you among them, are blowing 50% of CO2 budget. But you don't get these numbers it seems. You think that I am comparing you to ppl living in the jungle - I am not. I am comparing you with 90% of Earth's population.
If your net worth is more than $100k, you belong to the world's richest decile. You are 10-percenter. Taking you as an average 10-percenter, you are blowing 10 times more C02 than the average non 10-percenter.
Compared to the bottom half: You are blowing 25 times more CO2 than the average person from the bottom HALF of Earth population.
Do you use clothes dryer? Cloth dryers in North America alone use a similar amount of energy to that of the entire Bitcoin.
All that waste of energy for avoiding the mild inconvenience of hanging up your clothes and waiting a bit longer. If not using them why are you not rallying against clothes dryers?
How biased can you be with these crazy mental gymnastics? Get a grip, crypto is a tool primarily for wealthy criminals, it's not some tool for freedom as those in a delusional fantasy think.
I am not a criminal. I don't know a single bitcoin user who is a criminal.
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Posts: 3299
Joined: 2006-04-25
Clothes Dryers? Really scraping that barrel now.
*makes popcorn*
Senior Member
Posts: 8230
Joined: 2010-11-16
Clothes Dryers? Really scraping that barrel now.
bottom of the barrel, using similar amount of power like entire Bitcoin. In NA alone. For no other teason than to avoid mild inconvenience of hanging up clothes.
If anything, thats low hanging fruit. Calling it scraping the bartel shows how much you really care. Hit me when you have something other to discuss than value judgments
Senior Member
Posts: 388
Joined: 2021-01-21
Just because criminals are not complete Mor(m)ons riding in open horse drawn carriages across the main street and abducting people in broad daylight, we should ban any technology that you feel is very useful to criminals.
Are you fukin kiddin me? No - you are dead serious.
Look.,.. you accepted the challenge of proving that crypto is to be blamed for Acer being blackmailed. Instead of proving it, you have offered nothing but your personal opinions and value judgments.
Then there is hypocrisy of using 3080 OC and complaining about other peoples use of electricity.
I showed you raw data proving that richest 10-percenters, you among them, are blowing 50% of CO2 budget. But you don't get these numbers it seems. You think that I am comparing you to ppl living in the jungle - I am not. I am comparing you with 90% of Earth's population.
If your net worth is more than $100k, you belong to the world's richest decile. You are 10-percenter. Taking you as an average 10-percenter, you are blowing 10 times more C02 than the average non 10-percenter.
Compared to the bottom half: You are blowing 25 times more CO2 than the average person from the bottom HALF of Earth population.
Do you use clothes dryer? Cloth dryers in North America alone use a similar amount of energy to that of the entire Bitcoin.
All that waste of energy for avoiding the mild inconvenience of hanging up your clothes and waiting a bit longer. If not using them why are you not rallying against clothes dryers?
I am not a criminal. I don't know a single bitcoin user who is a criminal.We all agree that, yes few dudes can appreciate cryptos for buying VPN access anonymously but I guess it ends there. There isn't really anything else that you can't do with your regular money.
Cryptos are criticized for considerably increasing mass cybercrime and rightfully so. They offer little to end-user and much more to hacker groups. Hacking bank accounts in the past was nowhere near the scale of ransomware attacks. Ransomware-based hacking pre-cryto was not all that common and mostly targeted specific individuals. Cryptos allowed it to become what it is today. And it's not just stealing money or data, later frauds done with stolen files can have devastating consequences. Other issues are safety, since hacking hospitals and factories can easily result in injuries and loss of lives. You will never make networks impenetrable but you can make them safer by removing the economic gain behind hacking them. I don't see banning cryptos being real anytime soon, but if it is gonna happen it will be for the better.
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Posts: 10558
Joined: 2006-02-14
No it doesn't.
Obviously didn't mean it in an absolute 100% sense. Compared to traditional ransoms it's a galaxy more difficult for cops to deal with.
Obviously false. Ransoms did not suddenly begin with the invention of Bitcoin.
Obviously true, these ransoms skyrocketed after Crypto became sought after, stop trying to pass it off as nothing.
That's what technology has been doing since the stone age - empowering EVERYONE that has access.
Empowering criminals "way too much" is arbitrary and vague as fuk, and does not come close to "explaining it to 5yr old". What do you mean "too much"? Too much compared to what - a chair?
Cell phone? Internet?
Oh yeah, empowering everyone, because everyone can get thousands of GPUs and set up mining farms and has the connection to run criminal rings.
Is that's why you're rocking 3080 OC? Hypocrisy galore
Look whale, your CO2 footprint is that of the entire village. Literally.
And that's without bringing up your C02-spitting whale ancestors that brought us to this place.
Yeah man I'm the problem, the guy with a single 3080, let's compare me to a homeless person in a village in the middle of nowhere who doesn't use electricity. That makes sense and totally isn't a strawman argument. I'm not even going to bring up the fact that I'm in a country that now even charge carbon tax in an area that has the highest electricity costs in the country.
Meanwhile some more people were killed today relating to illegal activities of drug lords who run mining farms, but yeah keep calling me a hypocrite for using a single high powered GPU when ONE SINGLE BITCOIN TRANSACTION uses more electricity than I'll use in an eternity.
How biased can you be with these crazy mental gymnastics? Get a grip, crypto is a tool primarily for wealthy criminals, it's not some tool for freedom as those in a delusional fantasy think.