REvil, a Russian hack group that managed to gain access to confidential blueprints from Quanta Computer, a company that assembles Apple‘s products, is seeking $50 million (Approx. KES 5 Billion) in ransom. REvil started their extortion on the day of the recent “Apple Spring Loaded” event by first targeting Quanta on a message they broadcast in a dark web portal.
The Revil gang has already been posting part of the stolen data and is threatening to leak more schematics on a daily. After Quanta refused to pay the ransom in exchange for their data, the group has decided to go after Apple, their primary customer. Manufacturing schematics of current and future projects on the Apple Watch and the Apple Mac-book are reported to be part of this stolen data.
The documents can be said to be accurate so far, as it has been confirmed that the new thinner redesign of the iMac with an M1 chip was part of the confidential information the group released. This is data that no one outside Apple would legally have access to before the product launch. In a blog published on REvil’s site on the dark web, Apple has up to May 1st, 2021 to pay the required ransom.
Quanta has admitted the recent cyber attack on its systems but has maintained that the leaks do not have a “material impact” on their business operations.
In a statement, they said:
“Quanta Computer’s information security team has worked with external IT experts in response to cyberattacks on a small number of Quanta servers. We’ve reported to and kept seamless communications with the relevant law enforcement and data protection authorities concerning recent abnormal activities observed.”
Before Quanta, REvil has been on a spree of cyber attacks having already stolen data from several other companies including Acer with a $50 million (Approx. KES 5 Billion) demand and Pierre Fabre, a leading French pharmaceutical company with a $25 million (Approx. KES 2.5 Billion) demand.
Companies that are key customers of compromised Quanta Computer, the Taiwanese manufacturer, include Microsoft, Toshiba, HP, and a host of other largest laptop vendors in the world. Their data is likely to be part of the documents in possession by the ransomers.
As of this publication, Apple is yet to give direction on action about the leaks that directly affect its engineering and manufacturing data, three days into being the latest and the highest-profile of the companies that have been targeted by REvil’s ransomware attacks.
