Hacking collective Rhysida has threatened to auction off leaked data it allegedly stole from the Maryland Department of Transportation for 30 bitcoin (BTC) worth $3.4 million.
Rhysida announced the sale this week, advertising a seven-day auction to anyone wanting to buy the data, which reportedly includes social security numbers, ID details, audit reports, confidential legal documents, and attorney-client communications.
“We only sell to one hand, no reselling, you will be the only owner,” it said.
Read more: Ransomware gang wants 15 bitcoins from ‘world’s largest’ yacht dealer
On Monday, officials from the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), a branch of the Maryland Department of Transportation, revealed it had suffered an unauthorized cybersecurity breach that resulted in “data loss.”
Physical services such as its bus, subway, and train systems remain operational, but officials claim information systems such as its call centers may experience disruptions.
As a precaution, the department has warned its users and state employees to update their login credentials, ensure multi-factor authentication is enabled, look out for any phishing attempts, and update their devices.
“The investigation is ongoing, and more information will be provided as it becomes available,” the MTA said.
Read more: Data stolen from the British Library is being auctioned for bitcoin on the dark web
Rhysida is a ransomware-as-a-service collective — named after a venomous centipede — that offers its tools to wannabe criminals who split any ransom payments with the rest of the group.
Actors under the Rhysida name have threatened luxury yacht dealers, US hospitals, the British Library, and government institutions in Portugal and Kuwait, all while demanding BTC in exchange for stolen data.
Protos has reached out to the Maryland Department of Transportation for comment and will update this piece should we hear back.
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Source: https://protos.com/stolen-maryland-transit-administration-data-at-auction-for-30-btc/