"Ransomware Gang LockBit Claims to Have Gained Access to Italian Revenue Agency"
The Italian Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) has been added to the list of victims listed on the ransomware gang LockBit's dark web leak website. The gang claims to have stolen 78GB of data, which included contracts, financial reports, and corporate document scans. It plans to share images of the files and samples soon. If the attack occurred, it could be one of the worst incidents ever witnessed by Italian government entities. The Italian Revenue Agency is in charge of enforcing financial laws and collecting taxes in the country. In addition, the organization provides a variety of online services to both Italian and non-Italian taxpayers. It is unclear whether the ransomware group has already contacted Italian authorities or how much money it demands in ransom. The agency has five days to pay the demanded ransom to prevent the release of stolen data, according to the LockBit ransomware group. The group is now one of the most active ransomware gangs, having been in operation since at least 2019. At the end of June, the LockBit ransomware organization released LockBit 3.0, which includes significant improvements such as a bug bounty program, Zcash payment, and new extortion methods. Recent attacks have already used the updated version 3.0 of the ransomware. The bug bounty program made headlines because it was the first time a ransomware gang requested that cybersecurity professionals submit flaws to help improve their software. The gang has stated that it will award prizes of up to $1 million. It will also reward those with "brilliant ideas" to expand its operations. In order to maintain their anonymity, the gang now accepts Zcash payments in addition to Monero and Bitcoin. This article continues to discuss the LockBit ransomware gang claiming to have gained access to the Italian Revenue Agency, as well as recent updates made by the group.