KOCHI: The dreaded Everest Ransomware has issued a data leak threat to Fedfina, a financial institution in Kochi. The threat appeared on the dark web on Monday and was widely circulated by cyber experts through social media.
The company is asked to contact the ransomware team within 48 hours failing which they have warned to publish 1,130 GB of internal data and to delete the decryption key needed to unlock the systems.The threat message claims the data contains financial documents including loans, budgets, internal correspondence, KYC data, personal data and documents of employees. They allegedly have access to the personal data of clients, members of the management and directors. Fedfina has refused to comment on the matter. The public relations company associated with the financial institution said that comments in this regard cannot be made without the prior permission of the reserve bank. It is learnt that an internal probe is launched into the matter.
Ransomware is a kind of malware that hacks into a computer system by making use of various vulnerabilities. The hackers then ask for a ransom to stop the data leakage. Everest Ransomware, after sneaking into the system, locks it using an encryption code. Later, they demand a ransom to unlocking it. In some instances, the data is shared with interested persons who are ready to make a payment. Everest ransomware, earlier known as Everbe, was launched in 2018.