Over the weekend, ransomware gang BlackCat, sometimes also known as Alphv, claimed responsibility for hacking Reddit back in February. While the company has mostly been silent, it seems that a spokesperson has confirmed that it was indeed BlackCat that was responsible its security incident.
The Register reports that a Reddit spokesperson has confirmed the claim of the hacker group. That being said, the spokesperson had declined to comment on the group’s specific boasts on the matter.
Also worth noting is that the initial Reddit statement said that there was “no evidence to suggest that any Reddit information has been published or distributed online. But that may soon change, depending on when the hacker group decided to make good on its threat. The group has already said that it was confident that the company will not meet the ransom demand met. And in a more complete picture of the post by the group shared by Emsisoft threat analyst Brett Callow, they expect to leak the data.
#Alphv has claimed responsibility for the February hack of #Reddit. The gang is demanding $4.5 million and that the company reverse the controversial changes to its API pricing. #BlackCat 1/4 pic.twitter.com/bopb8Gjasq
— Brett Callow (@BrettCallow) June 19, 2023
On that note, Callow also notes that the group likely does not care about the API pricing. It just happens to be a wave to ride, with their intention more of showing their ability to cause ongoing harm to other potential victims. And when that happens, paying the ransom may look to be “the least painful option”.
(Source: The Register, Brett Callow / Twitter)
