Fraunhofer Institute in Halle became victim of a cyber attack

The world-famous Fraunhofer Institute in Halle has fallen victim to a cyber attack. As part of the hacker attack, criminals were able to capture hundreds of gigabytes of valuable data. Since the scientific research institution did not respond to the demand for ransom, they now have to reckon with a sale on the darknet.

Apparently not an area-wide attack

According to reports from Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR), the Fraunhofer Institute in Halle has experienced a massive attack on important data storage. The branch of the research institute, located in the major city of Saxony-Anhalt, specializes in particular in “microstructure of materials and systems.” According to the State Criminal Police Office, they shut down the servers immediately after the incident became known. According to a report by MDR, it was not a general attack on the Fraunhofer Institute. Only the local facility in Halle was affected.

Data being sold on the darknet

In the wake of a cyberattack with stolen data sets, experienced investigators are naturally driven first and foremost to the darknet. Also in the case of the present attack they became thereby fündig. The LKA has announced that the stolen data is already being offered on the darknet. The cybercriminals obviously want to follow up their threats with action. After all, they are said to have started an attempt to extort the proud sum of 2.2 million US dollars from the Fraunhofer Institute in Halle. If the institute does not comply with the demand for payment, the data sets, which are said to comprise 320 GB, will be sold. However, the institute does not seem to want to respond to such extortion attempts.

Perpetrator question still unclear

Who is behind the latest cyberattack is unfortunately still unknown, according to the LKA. However, the police authority also emphasized that it is by no means a rarity. More than 30 percent of Saxony-Anhalt’s businesses and companies are now said to have fallen victim to a cyberattack. In the case of the Fraunhofer Institute, however, it is not only the research institution itself that has to worry. Since the institute works for large companies and government agencies in particular, sensitive data could be in the stolen records. Nevertheless, the board’s move not to pay a ransom is probably the only correct one. Once you make yourself vulnerable to blackmail, the next blackmail often awaits you in the near future.