Hackers sell classified military documents: BBC
2 Min Read
Some of the hacked data include blueprints for weapons used by Nato in Ukraine.
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MBDA Missile Systems is considered one of the biggest weapons makers in the world (Reuters)
NATO is investigating the reported sale of classified documents by a hacker group, as per BBC.
Some of the information includes blueprints for weapons used by Nato in Ukraine.
Read more: Ukrainian hacktivists targeting Russia
“We are assessing claims relating to data allegedly stolen from MBDA. We have no indication that any NATO network has been compromised,” a spokesperson for the alliance was quoted as saying by the British broadcaster.
In further detail, BBC revealed that unidentified hackers are asking for 15 Bitcoins (approximately $320,000 at current prices) for the trove of stolen data.
The price and other details match what the French cybersecurity and information technology news website LeMagIT reported in early August.
The data cache was reportedly offered to potential buyers by someone named Adrastea in late July and is thought to be derived from an external hard drive. The hacker is thought to have gained access through an Italian subsidiary of MBDA.
A free sample of the documents was studied by BBC, which discovered documents with various NATO and US classification labels.
Some papers have surfaced describing the mission of a US air squadron in Estonia in 2020. Others displayed blueprints for an anti-aircraft system known as the Land Ceptor CAMM. The broadcaster stressed that it was unable to independently verify the documents' authenticity.
It is worth noting that MBDA Missile Systems was formed in December 2001 by the merger of missile system companies from France, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
It made £3.5 billion in revenues last year and has customers including the UK Ministry of Defense, the US military, the European Union, and NATO.
Read more: How hackers take advantage of the 'Bridge' problem
