dragonforce breaches HEC Group development infrastructure
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Ransomware operator dragonforce compromised HEC Group weeks before detection, exfiltrated terabytes of data, and is threatening release unless paid.
On August 30, 2024, HEC Group (TPE:3032) issued a public statement claiming a cyberattack had been detected and contained with minimal impact and no data loss. The ransomware group dragonforce disputes this account, claiming they gained near-total control of HEC Group's development and commercial infrastructure weeks before the company's announcement. According to dragonforce, the attackers conducted extensive data exfiltration across terabytes of files before initiating encryption, remaining undetected for an extended period. The group alleges HEC Group's leadership knew the public statement was false and was issued to manipulate stock market trading.
Dragonforce has published over 360,000 files as proof of the breach and is using a countdown timer alongside threats of further data release to pressure HEC Group into negotiation. The group claims they offered to delete exfiltrated data in exchange for a corrected public statement, which HEC Group declined. The remaining stolen data is being held for unstated strategic purposes. This incident illustrates both the severity of the compromise—affecting the group's core development and commercial operations—and the use of data-extortion tactics combined with market-manipulation pressure.
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Source reporting: https://www.ransomware.live/id/SEVDIEdyb3VwQGRyYWdvbmZvcmNl
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