A high-profile French basketball team, ASVEL, owned by former NBA star Tony Parker, has become a victim of the NoEscape ransomware-as-a-service group. The cybercriminals claim to have stolen 32 GB of data, including sensitive personal information about the club’s star players. ASVEL confirmed the hack through a press release after rumors began circulating earlier this month. The basketball club was made aware of the security breach when approached by the press, who had found references to the hack on NoEscape’s dark web leak site. NoEscape is now demanding a ransom payment and threatening to publish the stolen data if negotiations do not begin soon.
ASVEL has brought in external experts to help with its response to the attack. Despite the breach, the club’s activities have not been disrupted, and there is currently no evidence that fans’ payment information has been compromised. The NoEscape ransomware group, which emerged in May 2023, is believed to be a successor to the disbanded Avaddon ransomware group. Recently, warnings were issued about the gang’s focus on targeting the healthcare sector. Interestingly, the group seems to avoid targeting organizations in former Soviet countries and offers a free decryptor if companies within Russia’s sphere of influence are breached. This policy may be an attempt to minimize conflicts with local law enforcement agencies.
Key Points:
1. ASVEL, a high-profile French basketball team owned by Tony Parker, has been targeted by the NoEscape ransomware-as-a-service group.
2. The cybercriminals claim to have stolen 32 GB of data, including sensitive personal information about the club’s star players.
3. ASVEL confirmed the hack after being approached by the press, who noticed references to the hack on NoEscape’s dark web leak site.
4. NoEscape is demanding a ransom payment and threatening to publish the stolen data if negotiations do not commence.
5. The basketball club has enlisted external experts to handle the response to the attack, and activities have not been disrupted so far. There is no evidence of compromised payment information for fans.