TL:DR Breakdown:
- Bitcoin ransom attacks have been rising steadily since the year, with most targets being tech-related organizations.
- About 85,000 SQL databases were compromised by hackers, who are demanding a $550 ransom in Bitcoin for each database.
Bitcoin ransom cyber-attacks have increased rapidly since the beginning of the year. The hackers target companies in different sectors, including technology, other government agencies. Today, ZDNet reported the latest ransomware attack, which affected information stored in more than 85,000 SQL (or Structured Query Language) databases. These hackers are threatening the database owners to pay a Bitcoin ransom of $550 to retrieve their data.
$550 Bitcoin ransom for an SQL database
As reported, the ransomware attack on the SQL databases is part of a database ransom scheme that has been ongoing since the beginning of the year. Per ZDNet, they manipulated their way into the SQL databases, downloaded and deleted all the information stored on the server. They left a note informing the owners about the incident, and how they can retrieve the stolen information. For each affected database, the owners were told to pay about $550 Bitcoin ransom.
The notice also included a threat that information contained on the database will be auctioned to the highest bidders on the dark web if they do not comply by making the payment within a period of nine days. The hackers provided the database owners a unique ID, which they can use to settle and recover their stolen data. Ransomware attacks have been on the increase, especially in recent months. Today’s development only adds to the long list of similar cases recorded.
Advantech, Foxconn, Campari, and more
Recently, the popular Taiwanese industrial computer manufacturer, Advantech, was hit by ransomware, with the attackers demanding about 750 Bitcoin as ransom. Yesterday, Cryptopolitan reported that another Taiwanese company, Foxconn, was plagued with a ransom demand of $34 million after the server was reportedly compromised. Campari, an Italian alcoholic liqueur, was recently affected by Ragnar Locker malware. The attackers demanded about $15 million to be paid in Bitcoin.
