Boeing Investigating Possible Ransomware by LockBit Group

A ransomware attack can happen to any company at any time. No matter how large or small your company may be, the threat of attack is still out there. Boeing might just be the latest company to learn that.

As reported by Security Week, Boeing is currently investigating new claims from the LockBit ransomware gang that the group stole large amounts of company data. LockBit made the claims Friday, who threatened to publish the information to the public unless Boeing came up with a good enough ransom to pay: “A tremendous amount of sensitive data was exfiltrated and ready to be published if Boeing do not contact within the deadline.”

For Boeing’s part, the company cannot confirm whether the LockBit group actually stole the data at this time. The gang has not published any of the data yet, reportedly in an effort to “protect” Boeing, but it is possible the group is bluffing to earn a ransom.

That said, they are experienced: LockBit has been wreaking havoc since 2020, responsible for one fifth of the ransomware attacks in countries from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. Experts believe the group has made $91 million in ransom payments from around 1,700 attacks in the US alone. They’ll even extort third parties if the initial ransom doesn’t work.

So, while it is possible they aren’t telling the truth here, Boeing is likely concerned, and hoping to confirm whether the ransomware attack is legitimate as soon as possible.