http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/04/hackers-extorted-multinational-firm-in-australia-and-threatened-employee
By Joshua Robertson
The Guardian
3 June 2015
Hackers extorted an international company based in Brisbane for a ransom
paid out in bitcoin but then escalated their demands by threatening online
attacks on a senior employee’s child, Queensland police have said.
The company, which police refused to identify, paid the hackers an initial
ransom worth thousands of dollars after its computer system was hacked and
sensitive data stolen earlier this year.
When the company refused a further larger ransom demand and contacted
police, hackers then “profiled a senior member of the organisation,
identified their family and threatened to discredit members of his family
through online attacks particularly targeting a child”, police said.
The case prompted acting assistant commissioner Brian Hay to warn that
businesses should never give in to extortion demands but also be wary of
posting personal information on social media that could be exploited as
leverage by cyber criminals.
[...]
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