Excerpt from TechCrunch Article, Published on Nov 02, 2023
Aerospace giant Boeing has acknowledged a “cyber incident” affecting its parts and distribution business following claims from the LockBit ransomware gang. Boeing spokesperson Jim Proulx stated that the incident does not impact flight safety and that they are actively investigating the matter, collaborating with law enforcement and regulatory authorities while notifying customers and suppliers.
LockBit, a Russia-linked ransomware group, had recently claimed responsibility for the attack. According to a U.S. government advisory, LockBit has targeted around 1,800 victim systems worldwide since late 2019.
LockBit had threatened to release a substantial amount of allegedly stolen sensitive data if Boeing did not meet its ransom demand by November 2. However, the listing was subsequently removed from LockBit’s website, a common indicator of ongoing negotiations or potential ransom payment.
Boeing has not confirmed whether it received a ransom demand or paid it. Paying ransoms to sanctioned hacking groups violates U.S. law, as previously seen with sanctions against Evil Corp., an affiliate of LockBit.
Boeing did not disclose details of the compromise or data exfiltration but affirmed that a cybersecurity incident involving data exfiltration had occurred. This incident comes after Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen experienced a cyber incident disrupting flight planning last year.
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