The right choice or capitulation to hackers?
The Royal Netherlands Football Federation (KNVB) has decided to pay a ransom to cybercriminals to prevent the leakage of personal data of its members. This decision has caused concern among experts, who warn about the growing threat of cyber attacks for large companies. It is noted that the KNVB probably paid more than a million euros to prevent the publication of hacked data, including passport data, home addresses and information about the salaries of professional football players.
The attack on the KNVB was carried out by the cybercrime group Lockbit in April of this year. This well-known hacker association specializes in the use of ransomware.
Lisette Meij, a specialist in technology law, said that the KNVB's decision to pay the ransom was correct, since the real victims are people whose data was leaked. The expert noted that hackers from Lockbit have a certain algorithm of actions: if the victim does not pay for data decryption, they begin to threaten publication, often placing small parts of the data on the darknet.
The KNVB warned victims about possible misuse of their data, emphasizing that preventing data leaks is more important for the federation than the principle of not succumbing to extortion.
Some experts criticize the decision of the KNVB, believing that such an action only encourages criminals. However, a number of experts believe that the probability of further publication of data on the darknet is small, since this can undermine the scheme of earning criminals.
KNVB officials declined to comment on the exact amount of the ransom paid. However, according to RTL Nieuws, the ransomware demanded more than 1 million euros.
The Royal Netherlands Football Federation (KNVB) has decided to pay a ransom to cybercriminals to prevent the leakage of personal data of its members. This decision has caused concern among experts, who warn about the growing threat of cyber attacks for large companies. It is noted that the KNVB probably paid more than a million euros to prevent the publication of hacked data, including passport data, home addresses and information about the salaries of professional football players.
The attack on the KNVB was carried out by the cybercrime group Lockbit in April of this year. This well-known hacker association specializes in the use of ransomware.
Lisette Meij, a specialist in technology law, said that the KNVB's decision to pay the ransom was correct, since the real victims are people whose data was leaked. The expert noted that hackers from Lockbit have a certain algorithm of actions: if the victim does not pay for data decryption, they begin to threaten publication, often placing small parts of the data on the darknet.
The KNVB warned victims about possible misuse of their data, emphasizing that preventing data leaks is more important for the federation than the principle of not succumbing to extortion.
Some experts criticize the decision of the KNVB, believing that such an action only encourages criminals. However, a number of experts believe that the probability of further publication of data on the darknet is small, since this can undermine the scheme of earning criminals.
KNVB officials declined to comment on the exact amount of the ransom paid. However, according to RTL Nieuws, the ransomware demanded more than 1 million euros.
