Security News > 2022 > May > BlackCat/ALPHV ransomware asks $5 million to unlock Austrian state
Austrian federal state Carinthia has been hit by the BlackCat ransomware gang, also known as ALPHV, who demanded a $5 million to unlock the encrypted computer systems.
A spokesperson of the state, Gerd Kurath, told Euractiv that the attacker's demands will not be met, though.
The press representative further said that there is currently no evidence that BlackCat actually managed to steal any data from the state's systems and that the plan is to restore the machines from available backups.
The ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware gang emerged in November 2021 as one of the more sophisticated ransomware operations.
At the start of 2022, BlackCat affiliates attacked high-profile entities and brands like the Moncler fashion group and the Swissport airline cargo handling services provider.
The attack on Carinthia and the large ransom demands show that the threat actor focuses on organizations that can pay big money to get their systems decrypted and avoid additional financial losses resulting from prolonged operational disruption.