Ransomware attack hits fighter jet company helping fight Russia

A DEFENSE contractor who has previously provided the US with training tools to defend against Russia has announced that it is investigating a cyber attack.

Canadian fighter jet training company Top Aces has just confirmed the ransomware investigation.

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During a ransomware attack, cyber criminals demand money and typically threaten to reveal private information or continue the attack if they are not paid.

According to The Record, Top Aces said it was investigating after it appeared on a leak site for the LockBit ransomware group.

LockBit has given the company until May 15 to pay.

It threatens to release 44GB of stolen data if Top Aces refuses or is unable to pay.

Top Aces operates a fleet of fighter jets that are used to train militaries around the world.

Top Aces has cooperated with USA, Canada, Germany, Israel and other countries.

It signed a deal with the US in 2019 to provide training tools to defend against Russia.

Founded in 2000, the company claims to have “the largest global footprint of privately owned fighter jets.”

The LockBit group has attacked hundreds of companies in the past.

They use a special type of ransomware to prevent users from using their computers.

Valuable companies tend to get caught in LockBit’s line of fire.

LockBit hackers penetrate their computer networks and are unable to spread their malware infection throughout the company.

In 2021, the Russian-language tech blog YouTube channel Russian OSINT published an interview with a representative of the LockBit 2.0 ransomware group.

According to Advintel tech experts, the interview implied a relationship between ransomware operators and the Russian political system.