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Ransomware attack targets Victoria Beckham’s personal data

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Maze, the Ransomware gang strikes again. It seems that the victim this time is a US-based independent advisory firm specialized in consumer and retail sectors. They have a big number of clients including businesswoman and former Spice Girl, Victoria Beckham.

Maze’s official web blog has enlisted Threadstone Advisors, LLC as one of their victims following an attack during the last 24 hours. Threadstone Advisors, LLC has worked with Victoria Beckham in order to establish an investment liaison with NEO investment partners. Charles S. Cohen, Pittsburgh Brewing Co., and Xcel Brands are few of the many.

According to the press, Maze has leaked information belonging to Joshua Goldberg who is Threadstone’s managing director. The group stated that proof of data being stolen is “coming soon,” as told in the announcement.

A threat of this magnitude is most likely to mean that the company has not paid the ransom that was demanded by the gang, however, there is also no information on how much money in cryptos was asked for.

Brett Callow, the thread analyst at malware lab Emsisoft, claimed:

“The fact that other ransomware groups have adopted Maze’s encrypt-and-exfiltrate double-whammy style of attack likely proves that the strategy works and, consequently, it will probably eventually be adopted by those groups which do not currently steal data. Of course, the strategy will be more effective in some cases than in others. Companies that hold highly sensitive information relating to their clients – such as an M&A advisory – may be more inclined to pay to prevent their data being posted online than other businesses.”

The cybersecurity expert alerts that the tactics employed by ransomware groups like Maze are becoming “ever more extreme”. He also states that hackers are weaponizing stolen data via threats against business partners, clients so that they can harm companies ’reputations.

As reported by Maze, ST Engineering Aerospace’s US subsidiary has also recently suffered a ransomware attack that was able to extract around 1.5TB of highly sensitive data from the firm and its partners.

The gang also asserted to have hacked Sparboe, US egg producers in a post on its website. The post includes sample data that the group claims was stolen from the company.