Ransomware hackers threatening to leak confidential Dutch football data

The cybercriminal group Lockbit is threatening to leak confidential documents from the Dutch football association KNVB. The hackers stole over 300 gigabytes of data from the KNVB in a ransomware attack several weeks ago. If the KNVB does not pay the demanded ransom, Lockbit will leak the data next week, RTL Nieuws reports.

The hackers threatened to publish documents about disciplinary cases, contracts, financial data, and communications with the international football organization FIFA. It is unclear whether they also got hold of Dutch football players’ private data.

Lockbit is one of the most active and notorious ransomware groups. According to RTL, they have clear ties to Russia and have attacked hundreds of victims in recent years. It is unclear how much ransom the group demanded from the KNVB, but according to the broadcaster, they are known to demand massive ransoms - millions rather than thousands.

The KNVB previously reported the hack. It discovered the breach of its IT network in Zeist a few weeks ago. “At the moment, the digital forensic investigation is ongoing,” a KNVB spokesperson told RTL.

“As long as it is ongoing, we cannot make any further announcements about this. We will not make any statements about the perpetrators and their motives for strategic reasons.”