Missile Systems Developer MBDA Denies Reports of Hacker Attack

Leading European designer and manufacturer of missile systems, MBDA, responded to rumors of a hacker attack that claimed the company had been hacked and blackmailed.

Let me remind you that we also reported that Lazarus Group used ThreatNeedle malware against defense companies, and also that Chinese Hack Group Twisted Panda Spies on Russian Defense Developments.

The MBDA statement clarified that the company was the target of a certain criminal group that spread false news about the breach of the manufacturer’s infrastructure in an attempt to force the organization to pay a ransom. In fact, the ransomware somehow obtained the MBDA data from an external drive used by the Italian division and demanded a ransom, otherwise threatening to sell or publish the files for free.

The company also emphasized that they would not succumb to blackmail and did not intend to pay ransoms to criminals. Instead, MBDA intends to work with Italian law enforcement and take legal action against the perpetrators. At the same time, it is not specified how the hard drive fell into the hands of outsiders.

Rumors of a hack in MBDA appeared on July 30, 2022, when representatives of the Andrastea hack group published a statement on a popular hacker forum about the compromise of MBDA, allegedly carried out by exploiting some critical vulnerabilities.

The hackers claimed that as a result of the hack they managed to steal about 60 GB of data, including information about MBDA employees, data from a number of secret military projects, technical drawings, contracts, agreements and much more. As proof of their words, the hackers shared a “probe” of stolen data.