7,832 viewsJan 2, 2019, 12:30pm
'Dark Overlord' Hacker Demands Bitcoin In Alleged 9/11 Insurance Megaleak
Thomas Brewster
Forbes Staff
Cybersecurity
I cover crime, privacy and security in digital and physical forms.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasb.../#3acb87681cf9
Mideast Saudi USASSOCIATED PRESS
A hacker or group of hackers going by the name of The Dark Overlord has told Forbes they’re simply out for Bitcoin in return for data they claim is linked to litigation for the September 11 terror attacks.
When asked if the alleged attacks affecting major insurance outfits Hiscox and Lloyd's of London were carried out to stoke 9/11 conspiracy theories, the group’s emailed answer read: “We’re doing this to fuel our Bitcoin wallets.”
The Dark Overlord has long perpetrated extortion attempts, following hacks of a studio working for Netflix in 2017 and many other private businesses in the months following. In this case, a selection of free documents were released as a teaser, shortly after a New Year’s Eve announcement about the attacks.
On Pastebin, The Dark Overlord said they had acquired 18,000 documents, many of which related to the 9/11 events. And on Wednesday, the hacker began posting links on Twitter and Pastebin in which they said they’d be crowdfunding the release. Once they’d reached certain financial goals—ranging from $250 in Bitcoin, rising up to $2 million—more and more files would be released. (Twitter subsequently suspended the account.) Thus far, the freely-leaked documents appear innocuous, but the hacker promised juicier information was coming.
“What we’ll be releasing is the truth. The truth about one of the most recognisable incidents in recent history and one which is shrouded in mystery with little transparency and not many answers,” the hacker stated.
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