Teh One Who Knocks
09-06-2012, 12:16 PM
By Chloe Albanesius - PC Magazine
http://i.imgur.com/SuAlD.jpg
Hackers today said they gained access to the network file servers of Pricewaterhouse Coopers and stole tax documents for Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.
A spokeswoman for the firm, however, said there is currently no evidence of a hack.
In a note posted to Pastebin, the hackers threatened to send the documents to "all major news outlets" unless PwC paid a $1 million ransom.
"The deal is quite simple. Convert $1,000,000 USD to Bitcoins (Google if if you need a lesson on what Bitcoin is) using the various markets available out in the world for buying," the hackers wrote. "Transfer the Bitcoins gathered to the Bitcoin address listed below. It does not matter if small amounts or one large amount is transferred, as long as the final value of the Bitcoins is equal to $1,000,000 USD at the time when it is finished. The keys to unlock the data will be purged and what ever is inside the documents will remain a secret forever."
If anyone really wants to take a look at Romney's tax forms and can come up with $1 million before PcW, the hackers said they will release the documents to whomever pays up. "Who-ever is the winner does not matter to us," the hackers wrote.
Of course, that depends on whether the hack is actually legitimate.
"We are aware of the allegations that have been made regarding improper access to our systems," a spokeswoman for Pricewaterhouse Coopers said in a statement. "We are working closely with the United States Secret Service, and at this time there is no evidence that our systems have been compromised or that there was any unauthorized access to the data in question."
A spokesman for the Secret Service confirmed that the agency was investigating the report, but could not offer any other details due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.
Romney made headlines in recent months for not releasing all his tax forms. According to a note on MittRomney.com, Mitt and his wife Ann released their complete 2010 tax return and an estimate of their 2011 return.
The move comes shortly after hacker collective Anonymous released more than 1 million Apple user IDs. They claimed to have obtained them via an FBI laptop, but the agency also said it had "no evidence" that an FBI device was breached. For more, see How Did Anonymous Attackers Steal Apple UDIDs?
http://i.imgur.com/SuAlD.jpg
Hackers today said they gained access to the network file servers of Pricewaterhouse Coopers and stole tax documents for Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.
A spokeswoman for the firm, however, said there is currently no evidence of a hack.
In a note posted to Pastebin, the hackers threatened to send the documents to "all major news outlets" unless PwC paid a $1 million ransom.
"The deal is quite simple. Convert $1,000,000 USD to Bitcoins (Google if if you need a lesson on what Bitcoin is) using the various markets available out in the world for buying," the hackers wrote. "Transfer the Bitcoins gathered to the Bitcoin address listed below. It does not matter if small amounts or one large amount is transferred, as long as the final value of the Bitcoins is equal to $1,000,000 USD at the time when it is finished. The keys to unlock the data will be purged and what ever is inside the documents will remain a secret forever."
If anyone really wants to take a look at Romney's tax forms and can come up with $1 million before PcW, the hackers said they will release the documents to whomever pays up. "Who-ever is the winner does not matter to us," the hackers wrote.
Of course, that depends on whether the hack is actually legitimate.
"We are aware of the allegations that have been made regarding improper access to our systems," a spokeswoman for Pricewaterhouse Coopers said in a statement. "We are working closely with the United States Secret Service, and at this time there is no evidence that our systems have been compromised or that there was any unauthorized access to the data in question."
A spokesman for the Secret Service confirmed that the agency was investigating the report, but could not offer any other details due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.
Romney made headlines in recent months for not releasing all his tax forms. According to a note on MittRomney.com, Mitt and his wife Ann released their complete 2010 tax return and an estimate of their 2011 return.
The move comes shortly after hacker collective Anonymous released more than 1 million Apple user IDs. They claimed to have obtained them via an FBI laptop, but the agency also said it had "no evidence" that an FBI device was breached. For more, see How Did Anonymous Attackers Steal Apple UDIDs?