Garmin in Trouble for Paying Ransom
The GPS company Garmin became the victim of a ransomware attack late July. The suspected hackers, known as EvilCorp, encrypted a lot of company data and attached a ransom note to each file. The ransom note had directions to email one of two email addresses to get a price for the encrypted data. Garmin confirmed that the price was around $10 Million for the decryption key.
Garmin has paid the ransom to get their stolen information back. There is no official explanation yet how Garmin paid the hackers. But now Garmin could be in more trouble for paying the ransom. This time with the United States Government.
EvilCorp is on a US sanction list
Because the hacking group is on a US sanction list, that makes any transaction illegal and a punishable offense. Garmin reached out to a cyber response company, but the company refused due to legal implications.
Eventually, Garmin found a cyber response company that would help them with the transaction and securing their stolen data. The company, Arete IR, is confirmed to have assisted Garmin but no official statements have been released about the payment.
Even though Garmin was faced with no other choice but to pay the ransom, the company may be facing more punishment by the US government if the hackers are confirmed to be EvilCorp.
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