Cyber Crime
Russian Tesla Hack Pleads Guilty
The Russian tried bribing a Tesla emplyee with one million dollars to install a ransomware in the automotive giant's system was unsuccessful and has rested his case. Tesla and the FBI’s swift response prevented the attack from happening.
In March 2021, Egor Kriuchkov, the Russian national who attempted to hack Tesla last August 2020 in an unsuccessful ransomware attack pleaded guilty.
The 27-year-old acted on behalf of criminals abroad. He tried bribing an employee with $1 million to install ransomware to the company's computer network in Nevada. According to the prosecutors, Krouchkov acted on behalf of criminals abroad. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has also accused the Russian national of working with a Russian cybercrime gang.
Kriuchkov travelled to the US in July 2020 and met with an unknown Tesla employee multiple times throughout August. The DOJ said he took out the employee for drinks multiple times. He also provided the employee with a phone, instructing them to delete their communications.
Kruichkov was quoted saying that he and his co-conspirators would steal the data. If Tesla refused to pay a ransom, they would leak the company's secrets on the internet.
However, Tesla and the FBI's swift response prevented the attack from happening. According to the DOJ, the unknown employee also cooperated with the FBI and recorded conversations with Kriuchkov when agents couldn't eavesdrop.
Kruichkov would spend between four to ten months in prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release. After this, he would be deported back to Russia. He would also pay restitution to Tesla. The court has scheduled the sentencing hearing for May 10.
Ransomware is malware that encrypts an organization's data and locks users' out. The attacker will then demand ransom from the victim to restore access to the data., ending the hack.
According to Trend Micro's exhaustive report, The Impact of Modern Ransomware on Manufacturing Networks, ransomware threats have significantly disrupted the manufacturing industry in 2020. The attacks resulted in huge losses in productions and disjointed operations.
Apart from a robust cybersecurity solution, following industry standards and guidelines to protect organizations from attacks is also important. To learn more about such guidelines, read, “Guidelines Related to Security in Smart Factories (Part 1) Concepts and Management Systems of IEC62443”, an in-depth look into various guidelines that can help protect your business from attacks.
And also ISO / SAE 21434, the international Standard for Cybersecurity in Connected vehicles, has established an International Standard for tackling cybersecurity throughout its life cycle, including fostering a security culture. Grab its essence from our research paper.