The employee immediately notified Tesla and the company contacted the FBI, which launched a stabbing operation. Officers arrested Kriuchkov in Los Angeles when he tried to leave the US.
As Electrek points out, during the stabbing operation, FBI agents obtained information about previous attacks led by Kriuchkov’s employees. They couldn’t confirm which companies were affected, but a similar ransomware attack was launched on CWT Group in July. That company paid $ 4.5 million in ransom. Tesla could have been in a similar situation if its employee had not acted quickly or thought to inform the company.
Earlier this month, cruise lines Carnival and Garmin announced that they were victims of ransomware attacks. Travelex recently paid $ 2.3 million to resolve a ransomware attack, and of course, multiple cities – Atlanta, Baltimore, and New Orleans – have been affected by similar cybercrime. Dental offices and DSLR cameras are also not immune.
In a tweet, CEO Elon Musk confirmed the incident, saying, “This was a serious attack.”
Much appreciated. This was a serious attack.
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
August 27, 2020
This article by Christine Fisher originally appeared on Engadget.
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