Taiwanese computer manufacturer Acer is facing a ransomware attack from the REvil group.
According to Bleeping Computer, REvil is demanding a $50 million sum from Acer, offering until March 28 for the company to send over funds before any alleged stolen data is leaked. Bleeping Computer reports that REvil offered Acer a 20 percent discount on the payment it was looking to extort out of the company if the money was transferred as of Wednesday, March 17.
Though there are few details on what fully transpired, there is some information on how it could have happened. The group may have pulled off the attack by way of the “Hafnium” vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange. Data from Advanced Intel’s Andariel cyberintelligence platform was able to link the possible breach to the Microsoft Exchange issue. Though Microsoft had been working to release a simple patch for the issue, that doesn’t mean it’s been erased entirely. The software giant explained that the patch would only work against attacks that had already happened and might not be a panacea to resolve future hacks.
Speaking to Bleeping Computer, Acer was reticent about calling the issue a ransomware attack. Instead, the company stated that it had “reported recent abnormal situations observed to the relevant law enforcement and data protection authorities in multiple countries.”
The REvil group made headlines in 2020 when it launched a $6 million ransomware attack on money transfer service Travelex. It’s unclear the extent of the potential damage that the group has done with its most recent stunt, or the exact terms of what kind of data may have been breached.
