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San Francisco 49ers attacked by ransomware ahead of Super Bowl



The San Francisco 49ers are victims of a cyberattack and the BlackByte ransomware gang claims responsibility.

The timing of the attack on an NFL franchise in California prior to the start of the Super Bowl in Los Angeles is likely no coincidence, according to Brett Callow, a threat analyst for anti-virus software company Emsisoft.

Mr. Callow saw BlackByte claim responsibility for the attack and said the gang’s Super Bowl weekend timing may have gained more publicity and credibility for the ransomware gang to grow its business in cybercrime.

“Ransomware is typically not targeted and attackers are quite likely to have a happy dance when they realize that the network they came from is owned by 49ers,” Mr Callow said in an email. โ€œHowever, it is possible that the 49ers may have compromised the network weeks ago and waited until now to carry out the attack, believing they may be under additional pressure to pay out a few days ago. [the] Final match.”

49ers confirmed the cyberattack and said it affected the corporate information technology network.

The attack became public shortly after the FBI issued a warning about the BlackByte gang on Friday.

The FBI shared its warning via Twitter on Saturday, labeling the BlackByte ransomware a threat to “multiple US and foreign businesses” and prompting people to review its advice, which says the gang has previously attacked government facilities, the financial sector, food and agriculture. sector.

The identity of the attackers is not known exactly. Mr Callow noted that BlackByte does not encrypt computers using “Russian or ex-Soviet languages,” but its affiliates can come from anywhere in the world.

โ€ข This article is based in part on wire service reports.





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