Virgin Group’s Richard Branson hit by CL0p cyberattack

24 Mar 2023 12:48 pm GMT+0000 Date Time

Virgin Group’s Data Breach Announced by CL0P
On March 23, around 30 new victims were added to the CL0P extortion syndicate’s leak website, including Richard Branson’s global venture capital conglomerate, Virgin Group. The businesses under Virgin Group’s umbrella include transportation, retail, aerospace, tourism and other sectors, with a total income of $18 billion as per the CL0P website. Confirming the cybersecurity incident, Virgin Red Real Club acknowledged that it was hacked due to a vulnerability in Fortra Goanywhere. Speaking about the data theft, Virgin Group mentioned, “Recently, a group of CL0P extortions…stole several Virgin Red files as a result of a cyber attack on our Fortra supplier. The files in question are not dangerous for customers or employees, as they do not contain personal data.” However, the website of the CL0P extortion syndicate did not specify the nature of the breached data or the exact date of the attack. Apart from Virgin Group, the Canadian city of Toronto was also a victim of the same vulnerability on March 20. The cyber attackers penetrated the city’s data systems, although the nature of compromised data has not been disclosed. Several well-known names such as Shell, Hitachi, Bombardier, and Rubrik and Hatch Bank, have also been included in the hit-list of CL0P group’s victims. Some companies were compromised through the zero-day vulnerability of Fortra Goanywhere, allowing the CL0P hackers to steal data from over 130 organizations within ten days.

Virgin Group’s Data Breach Announced by CL0P

On March 23, around 30 new victims were added to the CL0P extortion syndicate’s leak website, including Richard Branson’s global venture capital conglomerate, Virgin Group. The businesses under Virgin Group’s umbrella include transportation, retail, aerospace, tourism and other sectors, with a total income of $18 billion as per the CL0P website.

Confirming the cybersecurity incident, Virgin Red Real Club acknowledged that it was hacked due to a vulnerability in Fortra Goanywhere. Speaking about the data theft, Virgin Group mentioned, “Recently, a group of CL0P extortions…stole several Virgin Red files as a result of a cyber attack on our Fortra supplier. The files in question are not dangerous for customers or employees, as they do not contain personal data.”

However, the website of the CL0P extortion syndicate did not specify the nature of the breached data or the exact date of the attack.

Apart from Virgin Group, the Canadian city of Toronto was also a victim of the same vulnerability on March 20. The cyber attackers penetrated the city’s data systems, although the nature of compromised data has not been disclosed.

Several well-known names such as Shell, Hitachi, Bombardier, and Rubrik and Hatch Bank, have also been included in the hit-list of CL0P group’s victims. Some companies were compromised through the zero-day vulnerability of Fortra Goanywhere, allowing the CL0P hackers to steal data from over 130 organizations within ten days.

/Reports, release notes, official announcements.