United States: hackers claim to have hacked pro-gun lobbyists of the NRA

“Pay or Grieve Your Data” proclaims the slogan of the group that operates the Grief ransomware. Cybercriminals claim to have hacked and exfiltrated the internal data of the National Rifle Association (NRA), a powerful arms lobby in the United States. On their Darknet site, they published a sample of their loot on Wednesday in order to increase the pressure on their victim who would have a priori refused their financial blackmail: a ransom in exchange for the return of their precious data.

The claim is accompanied by screenshots of Excel files containing details of the taxes paid and the association’s investments.

The NRA reacted in a statement in which it specifies “not to discuss subjects related to its physical or electronic security.” However, the NRA uses extraordinary means to protect information about its members, donors or activities and is vigilant in its proper application ”.

The pirates are therefore still engaged in a tense standoff. “They recently distinguished themselves by threatening their victims to destroy all data if they call on negotiators including the FBI,” said Brett Callow of the cybersecurity company Emsisoft, which monitors the activity of cybercriminal networks.

The operators of the Grief ransomware are suspected of being yet another offshoot of the Evil Corp group, a decade-long Russian-speaking hacker gang that has regularly changed its name in order to escape the sanctions of the US administration.