The London branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) recently fell victim to a ransomware attack, resulting in the theft of sensitive data. According to a report by The Register, which references information posted on the hackers' data leak site, the bank has until September 13 to meet the ransom demand or risk the stolen data being publicly leaked.
The attack was orchestrated by a group called Hunters International, who claim to have exfiltrated 5.2 million files, amounting to 6.6 terabytes of sensitive information. Despite being a relatively new name in the ransomware scene, some experts believe Hunters International is a rebranded version of Hive, a notorious ransomware group that was dismantled by the FBI in July 2022. At that time, the FBI successfully infiltrated the Hive group, seizing decryption keys and halting its operations.
Emerging approximately a year ago, Hunters International has shifted its focus toward data theft rather than system encryption. Some cybersecurity researchers suggest that developing and deploying encryption tools is complex and time-consuming, making data theft alone an equally profitable, yet simpler, approach for the group.
ICBC, the world’s largest bank by total assets and market capitalization, is a state-owned financial institution in China. It provides a variety of banking services, including corporate and personal banking, wealth management, and investment banking. With an extensive global presence, ICBC plays a significant role in funding infrastructure projects both domestically and abroad.
As of now, ICBC has not made any public statements regarding the attack or responded to requests for comment.
