DataBreaches suspects that most readers would agree that getting hit by a ransomware gang qualifies your day as a very bad day. But how about getting hit by two different ransomware gangs on the same day? VSS Medical Technology and one of their companies, Sigmund Software, had what sounds like a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
According to information provided to DataBreaches by Hive, they were in Sigmund Software’s system for six months and had exfiltrated 160 GB of files. They encrypted a backup server to show proof that they were there and exfiltrated files, but before they could encrypt the firm’s files, Spy encrypted them.
On September 12, Hive sent an email to Sigmund Software introducing themselves and telling them what they had done and that they had acquired:
– development of your applications
– source code of your applications (Aura, Aura Mobile App, etc)
– prototypes of your applications (including references, tests, sample code, etc)
– customers companies info (taxes, budgets, cash flows, passwords, etc)
– customers clients private info (address, contacts, etc)
Their email also informed Sigmund Software that Hive had left a backdoor that would allow Hive to continue breaching the network.
By the next day, however, they learned that Sigmund Software was negotiating with Spy to get a decryption key. Hive emailed the software firm on September 13 to say that they knew of the situation with Spy and that Sigmund Software had to deal with them, too:
We know all the details about your negotiation process with their organisation.
They want you to pay out about $750 000 to decrypt your network. We want $500 000 for your files. The sum of ransom payment for you will be $1 250 000.
The point is that this situation can not be solved without our participation, either your network will be attacked continiously every two weeks, which will make your business operations impossible.Plus do not forget that we have your customers contacts, and in case we will not get a proper agreement, your customers will be informed through emails and phone calls.
According to Hive, this week, Sigmund Software paid Spy $675,000 for the decryption key. DataBreaches does not know if it worked to decrypt all files. No reply has been received as yet to inquiries sent to Sigmund Software.
What Sigmund Software didn’t do, however, was to pay Hive, who have now dumped their data today.
The data dump appears to contain more than just Sigmund Software files. A quick inspection reveals files from other VSS companies, such as MedicFusion and New England Medical Billing. DataBreaches did not spot protected health information or any EHR databases in the data dump. The files appeared to be primarily corporate and tax-related information, although a sample provided to Sigmund Software on September 13 contains files with personal and protected health information. Whether further inspection of the leaked data will reveal more PHI remains to be determined.