Acer Falls Victim To A Crushing $50M Ransomware Attack Likely Due To Microsoft Exchange Vulnerability
Earlier in the month, brewer Molson Coors was allegedly hit by a ransomware attack under the guise of a “cybersecurity incident.” Now, Taiwanese computer manufacturer Acer has reportedly been hit by a REvil ransomware gang attack, and the hackers are demanding the largest known ransom to-date.
The ransomware gang announced earlier this week that it breached Acer and had taken files. On the REvil website, called the ‘Happy Blog’, these stolen files -- including financial spreadsheets, bank balances, and bank communications -- were posted as supposed proof of the breach. In response to the rumored attack, Acer has only reported “abnormal situations observed” in recent days. At the time of writing, we have reached out to Acer for comment and have not heard back yet on the matter.
An interesting takeaway from this event is that LeMagIT found a REvil ransomware sample, and it revealed that the hackers are demanding $50 million in XMR from Acer. This could be the largest ransomware demand to date, beating out several other multi-million-dollar attacks in the past. Furthermore, this hack could stem from the recent Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities that were used by Chinese hackers.
Ultimately, it seems that Acer has quite a bit of work to do in the coming weeks, and hopefully, we will get an official statement from the company soon. Either way, keep an eye on HotHardware for updates on the developing situation.
