Boeing Did Not Pay $200 Million Ransom to Retrieve 'Sensitive Data' from Hackers

Boeing has confirmed that it did not pay the $200 million ransom demand to recover stolen company data.

According to a recently released court document on Tuesday, the aerospace manufacturer did not provide the "extremely large" demands from Russian-based hacking group LockBit.

Hackers reportedly stole over 43GB of "sensitive data," including several classified government contracts, which were later leaked to the public last November.

The incident was considered one of the biggest ransomware attacks committed in recent years.

Despite the massive data leak, Boeing "remains confident" that the hackers were unable to compromise the safety of its aircraft and passengers.

Boeing confided with Cyber Scoop that the attack only impacted "elements of our parts and distribution business."

At least one alleged co-conspirator has already been identified: a Russian national named Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev.

Cybercriminals Ramp Up Ransomware Attacks Amid Rising Political Tensions

Khoroshev's linking to the infamous cybercriminal gang follows the efforts from the US and UK governments to crack down on Russian-based hackers amid rising political tensions in the country.

Since Moscow invaded of Ukraine in 2022, both countries have sanctioned Russia. Since then, the US and its allies have experienced increased cyberattacks from alleged state-sponsored hackers.

Many of the attacks were reported to be financially motivated as hackers targeted major business sectors and healthcare services.

LockBit alone was able to steal over $120 million with its ransomware operations.

The International Monetary Fund has warned that breaches and service disruptions "pose serious concerns" to the economy's stability, especially during surging inflations.

LockBit Continues to Exploit 'Citrix Bleed'

Despite employing simple methods in their attacks, LockBit continues to terrorize many businesses worldwide thanks to an unresolved exploit called "Citrix Bleed."

The exploit has been reported since last year as more companies using its Citrix services, including Boeing, were primarily targeted in the ransomware attacks.

US officials have urged vulnerable companies to tighten their digital security measures amid the surge in ransomware attacks.