The 49ers were hit with a ransomware attack by cyber criminals claiming they stole some of the football team’s financial data, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The attack was done by a group calling themselves “BlackByte” and posted the purportedly stolen financial documents on the dark web under the title “2020 invoices”. No ransom demands were made.
“To date, we have no indication that this incident involves systems outside of our corporate network, such as those connected to Levi’s Stadium operations or ticket holders,” the team said in a statement, referencing its home stadium.
The attack comes two days after the FBI and U.S. Secret Service issued an alert on BlackByte ransomware, saying it had “compromised multiple U.S. and foreign businesses, including entities in at least three U.S. critical infrastructure sectors” since November.
Via the Associated Press:
Ransomware gangs, which hack targets and hold their data hostage through encryption, have caused widespread havoc in the last year with high-profile attacks on the world’s largest meat-packing company, the biggest U.S. fuel pipeline and other targets. Western governments have pledged to crack down on the cyber criminals, who operate largely in and around Russia, but have little to show for their efforts.
The 49ers have notified law enforcement and hired cybersecurity firms to assist.