The LockBit ransomware group has claimed to have stolen valuable data from American entrepreneur Elon Musk’s rocket and spacecraft maker SpaceX after breaching the systems of one of its suppliers in Texas, named Maximum Industries, which specializes in waterjet and laser cutting and CNC machining services.
According to sources, the notorious Russian-speaking cybercriminals have stolen roughly 3,000 blueprints certified by SpaceX engineers. The ransomware group has reportedly sent a message directly to Elon Musk to pay the ransom, threatening to leak or sell the blueprints on the Dark Web if the demands to pay the ransom aren’t met.
Musk has until March 20 to make an extortion payment, according to a screenshot of the LockBit post shared on Twitter by security analyst Dominic Alvieri. Neither SpaceX nor Maximum Industries responded to the media’s attempts to seek comment on the reported security breach.
The LockBit ransomware gang LockBit emerged at the end of 2019. To date, it has targeted over 1,000 organizations, including major companies, through “ransomware-as-a-service” operations. They generally exploit unpatched vulnerabilities, rely on insiders, or acquire access from specialized groups to gain access to victim systems. Once they have access, they collect valuable data and deploy file-encrypting malware.
