Hackers demand €2.6 million ransom from Revolut for stolen data

The hacking group "iamnotavillain" is demanding €2.6 million in Monero cryptocurrency from British fintech company Revolut. The attackers are threatening to sell customers' confidential data to other criminal groups if payment is not made within 24 hours. Monero is a popular choice among attackers, mainly because it is harder to trace transactions.

The public demand represents a departure from normal practice, as cybercriminals typically send ransom demands privately, only making them public if they refuse to cooperate. The message was posted on the hackers' website. To prove their authenticity, the attackers sent a screenshot showing the customers' confidential documents. These included driver's licenses, passports, photos for identity verification, and entire transaction histories.

The breach reportedly affected at least 680 user accounts. The attackers obtained the confidential files by abusing the Italian government's email system, using it to impersonate law enforcement agencies for months and request information about specific accounts. They selected targets based on analysis of the blockchain data to find accounts with large amounts of cryptocurrency.

Revolut said it had not been in direct contact with the group or received any requests from them, but it has provided immediate support to affected users and has notified law enforcement. Revolut, which was recently valued at nearly €100 billion, operates as a bank in more than 30 countries and serves around 80 million users.