Hardware Giant MSI Hacked – Ransomware Group Issues Demand

A cyberattack was recently launched on some of the information systems of the multinational Taiwanese technology company Micro-Star International (MSI) Co., Ltd.

According to MSI’s statement, the incident was swiftly reported to law enforcement authorities, and recovery efforts have begun.

“Upon detecting network anomalies, the information department promptly activated relevant defense mechanisms and carried out recovery measures, and reported the incident to government law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity units,” MSI explains.

With annual sales of $6.5 billion, MSI is a major manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, desktops, laptops, servers, industrial systems, PC peripherals, and infotainment products.

Money Message Ransomware Gang Claims MSI Breach and Demands $4 Million Ransom

The company was added to the list of victims of the “Money Message ransomware” group this week. The group claims to have stolen the company’s CTMS and ERP databases and files holding source code, BIOS firmware, and private keys.

According to cybersecurity experts, the group only started operating this week. If MSI doesn’t comply with its demands for a ransom payment, Money Message now threatens to expose all of these supposedly stolen documents in around five days.

Notably, the threat actors allegedly demanded a $4,000,000 ransom in discussions viewed by BleepingComputer at the time, claiming to have stolen 1.5TB of data from MSI’s systems, including source code and databases.

In a communication with an MSI agent, a Money Message operator claimed, “Say your manager, that we have MSI source code, including framework to develop bios; also we have private keys able to sign in any custom module of those BIOS and install it on PC with this bios.

According to the company, there hasn’t been a significant impact on financial business as the damaged systems have progressively resumed normal operations.

“MSI urges users to obtain firmware/BIOS updates only from its official website, and not to use files from sources other than the official website”, the company said.

Struggling to Apply The Security Patch in Your System? – Try All-in-One Patch Manager Plus

Gurubaran

Gurubaran is a co-founder of Cyber Security News and GBHackers On Security. He has 10+ years of experience as a Security Consultant, Editor, and Analyst in cybersecurity, technology, and communications.

Recent Posts

Lotus Blossom Hacker Group Uses Dropbox, Twitter, and Zimbra for C2 Communications

The Lotus Blossom hacker group, also known as Spring Dragon, Billbug, or Thrip, has been…

2 hours ago

Squidoor: Multi-Vector Malware Exploiting Outlook API, DNS & ICMP Tunneling for C2

A newly identified malware, dubbed "Squidoor," has emerged as a sophisticated threat targeting government, defense,…

2 hours ago

Unpatched Vulnerabilities Attract Cybercriminals as EDR Visibility Remains Limited

Cyber adversaries have evolved into highly organized and professional entities, mirroring the operational efficiency of…

2 hours ago

Threat Actors Attack Job Seekers of Fortune 500 Companies to Steal Personal Details

In Q3 2024, Cofense Intelligence uncovered a targeted spear-phishing campaign aimed at employees working in…

2 hours ago

DragonForce Attacks Critical Infrastructure to Exfiltrate Data and Halt Operations

The DragonForce ransomware group has launched a significant cyberattack on critical infrastructure in Saudi Arabia,…

2 hours ago

New Malware Uses Legitimate Antivirus Driver to Bypass All System Protections

In a concerning development, cybersecurity researchers at Trellix have uncovered a sophisticated malware campaign that…

3 hours ago