Ransomware gang claims to have stolen 3,000 Elon Musk designs for SpaceX ROCKETS

Ransomware gang claims to have stolen 3,000 designs from Elon MuskX SpaceX missile team and threatens to sell them to competitors.

Earlier this week, the infamous LockBit group reached out to billionaire Musk, warning of the auctioning of “certified” drawings in a massive March 20 data breach.

In a post on the dark web, LockBit said: “I would say we were lucky if the SpaceX contractors were more talkative. But I think that this material will find its buyer in the shortest possible time.

Elon Musk, we will help you sell your blueprints to other manufacturers – build a ship faster and fly away.

And now about the numbers: about 3,000 drawings certified by SpaceX engineers. We will start the auction in a week. ALL AVAILABLE DATA WILL BE PUBLISHED!”

The page shows a real-time countdown progressing, with just four days to pay SpaceX an undisclosed amount to a ransomware group.

Under the post are also three “confidential” documents allegedly leaked from Maximum Industries, which is believed to be a SpaceX contractor.

This included a vacuum engine design, a non-disclosure agreement between SpaceX and Maximum Industries, and kits for Starship.

MailOnline has reached out to SpaceX and Maximum Industries for comment.

According to the US Department of Justice, LockBit first appeared in early 2020 and has since made at least $100 million from ransom victims around the world.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been investigating the group since March 2020 and believes there were up to 1,000 victims worldwide.

The revelations came when a 33-year-old man from Ontario, Canada, was due to be extradited to the United States because of his involvement in the campaign.

At the time, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco said, “Let this be another warning to ransomware participants: The Department of Justice, working with partners around the world, will continue to crack down on cyberthreats and bring those responsible to justice.”

“Together with our partners, we will use all available tools to stop, deter and punish cybercriminals.”

LockBit’s attacks were not limited to the aerospace industry: Cheese maker Bonta Viva and real estate company Radium Life Technology also faced ultimatums.

Royal Mail also reportedly closed an ‘absurd’ £66m request from LockBit in January. Telegraph.

Russia-linked hackers allegedly broke into Royal Mail’s software at a time when the company was already facing pressure from employee strikes.

It is understood that the breach eventually led to a police investigation.

In addition to the threats, LockBit has also been holding some bizarre events, offering people to pay $1,000 if they get the logo tattooed on their bodies, according to Wired.

Alleged threats to release Starship files to come later talk that it could explode during its first orbital launch, which should take place within the next few weeks.

Failing that, Musk shared that SpaceX is building more Starship rockets, and he believes there is an 80 percent chance that one of them will reach orbit before the end of the year.

NASA expects Starship to take astronauts to the surface of the Moon in a few years, and in the future, Musk wants to use giant starships to send large numbers of people to the Red Planet.

“I’m not saying it will go into orbit, but I guarantee excitement,” he said of the ship, which was built to go to Mars, before adding, “It won’t be boring!”