Electronics chain MediaMarkt has been hit by a hacker attack since this morning. The cybercriminals behind this attack demand 43 million euros ($50 million) ransom in exchange for access to the hostage systems, reports RTL News. Payment is currently being negotiated.
A MediaMarkt spokesperson informed this site that he was not aware of the millions demanded by the hacker group. “The news about this has surprised us. We are still in full investigation.” According to RTL News it concerns the cybercriminal group H ive, which has been attacking companies and organizations since June 2021 and taking their computers and files hostage. Hive would ask for the ransom to be paid in bitcoins.
MediaMarkt’s European affiliates have been hit by the attack since yesterday morning. This includes branches in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. The stores are still open, but returning or collecting products is no longer possible. Articles can also be ordered online, according to a spokesperson there are no problems with the webshop.
Ransomware Attack
RTL reports on the basis of internal documents – e-mails from the company to employees – that the retail chain asks employees not to use the computers in the stores. Also, the internet cables should be removed from the cash registers and systems should not be rebooted. Sources within the company speak of a ‘ransomware attack’. “Everything is encrypted,” says a Mediamarkt employee.
hive
Earlier this year, the hacker group Hive also attacked a number of American hospitals. As a result, surgical procedures and radiological examinations could not take place.
Victims of a cyber attack can go to the Hive ‘help desk’, where the amount of the ransom can be negotiated. Once the money has been transferred, the software will also appear on that website to unlock the computers from the digital lock.
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