Ransomware gang claims it hit the National Rifle Association

A ransomware gang with suspected connections to Russia claimed on Wednesday that it attacked the National Rifle Association.

Brett Callow, an Emsisoft threat analyst, published a screenshot on Twitter of the ransomware gang Grief saying that it victimized the NRA, which is America’s largest gun-rights advocacy group.

“Grief claims to have hit the NRA,” said Mr. Callow on Twitter. “Grief = Evil Corp.”

The NRA later published a statement to Twitter saying, “NRA does not discuss matters relating to its physical or electronic security.” The statement added that the NRA “takes extraordinary measures to protect information.”

Evil Corp. is a Russia-based cybercriminal group that the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned in 2019. Former Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said at the time that Evil Corp. was “one of the world’s most prolific cybercriminal organizations.”

The Grief gang has previously sought to prevent their victims from hiring ransomware negotiators because of concerns that the negotiators would know of sanctions risks and advise victims not to pay, according to tech publication Bleeping Computer.