Hyundai Motor Europe, the European division of Hyundai Motor Company, has fallen victim to a Black Basta ransomware attack, with threat actors alleging the theft of three terabytes of corporate data.
BleepingComputer initially uncovered the attack in early January, though Hyundai described it as IT issues at the time. However, upon further inquiry and the revelation of data theft, Hyundai confirmed the cyberattack, stating that an unauthorized third party accessed a limited part of their network.
The company is actively investigating the incident, collaborating with external cybersecurity and legal experts while notifying relevant local authorities. Hyundai emphasized that ensuring trust and security is fundamental to their business, prioritizing the protection of customers, employees, investors, and partners.
While specifics regarding the attack type were not disclosed, Black Basta ransomware operators claimed responsibility for the breach in early January, boasting the theft of 3 TB of data. Lists of stolen folders, including those from KIA Europe, were shared by the threat actors, indicating data related to various departments such as legal, sales, human resources, accounting, IT, and management.
This incident follows Hyundai’s disclosure of a data breach in April 2023 affecting Italian and French car owners and individuals who booked test drives. Additionally, Hyundai MEA’s X account was recently hacked to promote sites with crypto wallet drainers.
Black Basta ransomware emerged in April 2022, conducting double-extortion attacks and forming partnerships with malware operations like QBot to gain remote access to corporate networks. Believed to be linked to the Conti ransomware operation, Black Basta has conducted various attacks, including those against organizations such as the Toronto Library, Capita, American Dental Association, Sobeys, Knauf, and Yellow Pages Canada.
According to a report by Corvus Insurance and Elliptic in November 2023, Black Basta has received over $100 million in ransom payments since its inception.
