Notorious Brazilian hacker collective N4ughtySecTU has purportedly targeted credit bureaus TransUnion and Experian, alleging a breach of their IT systems and demanding a staggering $60 million ransom, as reported by Times Live.
However, both companies have vehemently refuted these claims, asserting no indications of any compromise within their IT infrastructures.
This isn’t the first encounter between N4ughtySecTU and these credit bureaus. Last year, N4ughtySecTU was involved in a similar incident with TransUnion, demanding a $15 million ransom for data compromise amounting to four terabytes. Post the attack, N4ughtySecTU boasted access to 54 million personal records of South Africans, including details of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Experian, on the other hand, made headlines in August 2020 following a data breach affecting up to 24 million South Africans and 793,749 business entities, exposing their personal information to a fraudster.
The recent claim by N4ughtySecTU, articulated in an email viewed by ITWeb, suggests infiltration into TransUnion’s and Experian’s systems and client databases, threatening to leak data within 72 hours, signaling an impending “firestorm.”
Despite the hacker group’s assertions, TransUnion maintains that no evidence supports unauthorized access or data exfiltration from their systems. Their operations remain unaffected, reaffirming their steadfast commitment to information security.
Echoing a similar stance, an Experian spokesperson rebuffed the alleged breach, labeling the claims baseless, with no substantiated evidence of compromised systems or data. Emphasizing their proactive security measures, the spokesperson reiterated the company’s dedication to safeguarding customer information and vowed to continue stringent system evaluations.
