Ransomware gang LockBit claims to have stolen confidential SpaceX data

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An auction will apparently be held in a couple of days

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The infamous LockBit ransomware operators are claiming to have stolen sensitive data belonging to SpaceX, in what seems to be a supply chain attack.

As reported by Security Affairs, the group breached the systems of Maximum Industries, a full-service, piece-part production and contract manufacturing company which also services SpaceX. 

For the (few) uninitiated, SpaceX is the American spacecraft manufacturer and satellite communications company set up by the eccentric billionaire Elon Musk. It rose to fame after successfully building rockets that are able to land back on Earth, thus saving the space industry billions of dollars.

Thousands of drawings

Now, Maximum Industries has been hacked, according to LockBit, providing the hackers with some 3,000 “drawings certified by SpaceX engineers.”

“I would say we were lucky if SPACE-X contractors were more talkative. But I think this material will find its buyer as soon as possible,” read a message on LockBit's Tor Leak site. 

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It continued: “Elon Musk we will help you sell your drawings to other manufacturers – build the ship faster and fly away. and now about the numbers: about 3,000 drawings certified by space-x engineers”.

LockBit claims the data will be up for sale via auction in under a week, in an attempt to extract maximum value out of the stolen files. However, it’s hard to determine what the database really contains, as there’s no sample, and both SpaceX and Maximum Industries are keeping quiet. 

LockBit is one of the most popular ransomware variants out there. In its four-year lifespan, it managed to compromise more than 600 companies and post their sensitive data on its site. While not all targets are high-profile, LockBit has had a few major “hits” recently, including the Port of Lisbon Administration and the LA Housing Authority.

Via: Security Affairs

Sead Fadilpašić

Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.