The hacking group REvil attacks a law firm with a client base that includes Elton John, Robert DeNiro and Madonna and now they’ve taken aim at President Trump!
In May of 2020, the ransomware group known as REvil stole close to 1TB of legal secrets from stars in the entertainment industry and are demanding a whopping $42 million in cryptocurrency to keep the stolen information under wraps. This trove of information allegedly also includes the secrets of the American President Donald Trump.
$42M to Not Expose Trump’s ‘Dirty Laundry’
REvil has already released a 2GB data dump of documents and sent the files to media outlets including Cointelegraph, which reported the details of the hacking attack on New York law firm Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks.
Some of the firm’s clients include Elton John, Robert DeNiro, and pop icon Madonna. Despite the massive attack, which resulted in 756GB worth of data connected to confidential contracts, personal correspondence, non- disclosure agreements, and private information being stolen, the company has refused to meet the hackers’ demands.
The hackers recommended that President Trump “poke a sharp stick at the guys” in order for them to pay up, then addressed American voters saying that “we can let you know that after such a publication, you certainly [won’t] want to see him as president.”
The group is looking for the money to be paid in Monero, but also accepts Bitcoin for a higher fee, and has said that the data would be released in nine stages unless the company pays up. It’s unclear how Trump is linked to the law firm, as there is no confirmation that he was ever a client.
The firm is refusing to negotiate or pay the ransom, due to worries that the hackers may release the documents even if the money is paid, as well as hacking being considered an act of terrorism by the FBI.
Another Record Setting Ransom Demand From REvil
REvil has previously attacked Kenneth Cole and Travelex and their massive ransom demand is possibly the largest ever made with the previous known record demand being $25 million made to an unnamed company. That ransom was never paid.
Grubman, Shire, Meiselas and Sacks, said in a statement to Page Six, “Our elections, our government and our personal information are under escalating attacks by foreign cybercriminals. Law firms are not immune from this malicious activity.”
The ramifications of this attack are still yet to be seen, but this is certainly a story that we will be keeping our eyes on in the weeks to come.
