Worldwide, 60 companies have become victims of the “BlackCat” hackers: the public prosecutor is opening an investigation for serious extortion.
The cyber attack on the state of Carinthia not only continues to cause problems, but also attracts international attention. The FBI has been warning about ‘BlackCat’ since April. At least 60 companies worldwide were damaged by this malware in a very short time – including a billion-dollar Swiss aviation group and a well-known fashion brand.
It remains unclear how Carinthia was targeted by the hackers. Obviously this is an order attack. “The software for this can be ordered via Darknet,” explains Markus Kitz of the Klagenfurt public prosecutor’s office. “We are investigating severe extortion.”
Hacking is new territory for lawmakers
The hackers are demanding $5 million in bitcoins to withdraw from the government network. “The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counter-Terrorism secures all possible forensic evidence,” Kitz said. Criminally, the case is just as complex: the cyber criminals risk ten years in prison just because of the ransom demand.
Because only hacking is new territory for the law. Article 118a “Unlawful access to a computer system” has only existed since 2016; only threatened with two years if critical infrastructure is compromised.
Kaiser: Carinthia will not give in to extortion of millions
This also describes the Carinthian case: many of the 3,000 programs are still running, including the payment of basic guarantees to Ukrainian refugees has been delayed and passports have to be reissued. Incidentally, the FBI advises BlackCat victims against payments. Provincial governor Peter Kaiser also assures that Carinthia will not give in to the extortion of millions. An estimated EUR 500,000 for damage limitation.
Source: Krone
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