(UnitedVoice.com) – One of the biggest criminal cases in American history is playing out in Fulton County, Georgia. District Attorney Fani Willis charged former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants with crimes under the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. The defendants are accused of trying to overturn the 2020 election. If convicted, they could face significant prison time.
Recently, a group of hackers allegedly stole files from the case. They vowed to release them if they did not receive what they wanted.
Missing Files
On January 29, a cyberattack hit Fulton County and caused several critical systems to go down. The attack impacted the phones, tax, and court systems. Public booking records still weren’t accessible as of March 1.
Three days after the attack, on February 1, the George Secretary of State’s Office announced the incident was a ransomware attack. Two weeks later, on Valentine’s Day, the group LockBit, claimed responsibility for the attack on its dark web website. The group alleged it had the personal data of citizens and confidential documents, including some related to the Trump prosecution.
The hackers demanded a ransom and later set a deadline of February 29 to pay it.
What Is LockBit?
The hacking group has been around for years. In June 2023, the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) explained that the notorious group, LockBit, was the “most deployed ransomware variant across the world” in 2022. The LockBit ransom operation uses the Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, where its affiliates conduct attacks using LockBit tools. Many of the bad actors are unconnected.
Deadline Passes
On February 29, Robb Pitts, the chairman of the Board of Commissioners for Fulton County, revealed the county had not paid a ransom. Further, no other entity paid it on behalf of the county. Officials have repeatedly refused to pay the ransomware demands, not moved by the hackers’ promise to release the documents and data they stole.
Pitts said he didn’t know of any of the data being released to the public. However, he also made it clear he doesn’t think the group is going to stop targeting Fulton County.
Krebs on Security reported earlier this month that the hacking group did release some data. It reportedly posted it online as a sample of what it had in an attempt to force the country to pay up. But days later, on February 16, the organization removed its entry related to Fulton County from its website without comment.
Pitts said the county would continue to monitor the situation and work with law enforcement.
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