Apple Targeted in $50M Ransomware Attack

Tech giant Apple has reportedly been targeted in a $50 million ransomware attack following the theft of a collection of engineering and manufacturing schematics of current and future products.

The Verge reports that tech giant Apple has been the latest target of a $50 million ransomware attack following the theft of a large collection of engineering and manufacturing schematics of current and future products from the Taiwan-based MacBook manufacturer Quanta.

The leak was allegedly carried out by a Russian hacking group known as REvil that has also operated under the name Sodinokibi. The group began posting the stolen schematics on April 20, timed to coincide with Apple’s “Spring Loaded” event, after Quanta refused to pay the $50 million ransom for the data.

The hacking group is now reportedly hoping to force Apple itself to pay the ransom by May 1, promising to continue to leak schematics and images daily until Apple pays. Quanta confirmed that its servers were breached in a statement to Bloomberg, commenting: “Quanta Computer’s information security team has worked with external IT experts in response to cyber attacks on a small number of Quanta servers.” The company added that “there’s no material impact on the company’s business operation” as a result of the hack.

REvil has previously carried out similar ransomware attacks on tech firms such as Acer and many others. The Quanta attack, due to Apple’s high profile and the possibility of leaking new Apple hardware, is the group’s highest-profile target to date.

The company has yet to clarify the extent of the leak but images leaked by REvil include schematics for Apple’s newly revealed iMac design which had not been seen by anyone outside of Apple’s sphere of influence prior to yesterday.