Security News > 2023 > April > Fake ransomware gang targets U.S. orgs with empty data leak threats
Fake extortionists are piggybacking on data breaches and ransomware incidents, threatening U.S. companies with publishing or selling allegedly stolen data unless they get paid.
They have also impersonated some ransomware and data extortion gangs in emails and claimed to be the authors of the intrusion, stealing hundreds of gigabytes of important data.
BleepingComputer found another email from Midnight Group, professing that they were the authors of the data breach and that they stole 600GB of "Essential data" from the servers.
Arete says that at least 15 of their current and previous clients received fake threats from the Midnight Group, which supported their data theft claims with vague details.
Ransomware actors often sell the data they steal from victims even when they get paid.
If Midnight Group has access to the markets and forums where this data is traded or sold they could learn about ransomware victims that have yet to disclose the cyberattack.
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