Fulton County Refuses to Pay LockBit Ransom Despite Gang Says Otherwise
The criminal prosecution against Donald Trump has become embroiled in ransomware drama as two sides argue over who paid whom.
LockBit is making headlines again for its ransomware attack in Fulton County in the US, but this time the situation has become very political and a little confusing.
Fulton County was the victim of a devastating ransomware attack in early February, and LockBit posted details of the attack on its breach site on February 13. The gang was threatening to release Fulton County data on February 16.
LockBit later withdrew its position, although at the time (Feb. 20) the Fulton County Commission Chairman said the country had not paid any ransom. Then, after the successful seizure and dismantling of LockBit’s infrastructure, everything seemed like a moot point.
Then LockBit was resurrected and the whole process started again. But this time, LockBit got political, saying last weekend that its stolen data contained “a lot of interesting stuff and court cases from Donald Trump that could affect the upcoming US election.” At the time, it was threatening to publish it on March 2, before moving the deadline to February 29.
Donald Trump is currently facing several accusations related to election interference. The charges were filed in Fulton County Court, where the case is currently pending.
Now, the post has been deleted again and, according to Krebs on Security, LockBit is once again claiming that they have been paid, at least that’s what LockBit’s leader told them.
But on March 1, in a news conference streamed live on YouTube, Fulton County Commissioner Chairman Robb Pitts said LockBit had not released any county data.
“At this time, we are not aware of any data being released,” Pitts said. “That doesn’t mean the threat is over and they could release the data they have at any time: today, tomorrow or at some point in the future.”
“We just have no control over that.”
Pitts said the investigation into the incident is ongoing, with the assistance of authorities. Pitts then denied LockBit’s claim that a ransom had been paid.
“Once again, we have not paid any ransom,” Pitts said, “nor has any ransom been paid on our behalf. In the meantime, we are working to restore all county systems and making some progress.”
