LockBit ransomware gang has struck again, claiming responsibility for a Maximum Industries breach that resulted in the theft of over 3,000 certified drawings by SpaceX engineers. Maximum Industries makes parts for the spacecraft engineering corporation.
The cyberattack was directed at Elon Musk. In a note to the billionaire entrepreneur and his SpaceX contractors, LockBit declared their intention to “help sell [his] drawings to other manufacturers”.
The LockBit ransomware gang also urged Musk to “build the ship faster and fly away,” implying that their actions were motivated by a desire to push him to accelerate the development of his space-faring projects.
Lockbit takes responsibility for Maximum Industries breach
According to the threat actor’s post, the breach occurred on March 13, 2023, and the hackers announced that they would launch an auction for the drawings and other information gathered from the heist in a week. They also threatened to publish all available data related to the breach.
Maximum Industries is a manufacturing company specializing in aerospace components and has been a supplier for SpaceX. It is unclear how much damage the breach has caused the company and whether any sensitive information other than the drawings has been compromised.
Not the first cyberattack
However, this is not the first time SpaceX’s CEO has faced cyberattacks from hackers.
In December 2022, a user that goes by the handle Ryush claimed that they had gained access to a vast amount of private data belonging to an estimated 400 million Twitter users.
The hacker directly contacted Twitter CEO Musk and offered to sell the data to him to help the social media giant avoid a potentially hefty fine from the European Union for breaching GDPR.
As proof of their claims, Ryushi also provided a sample of the data they obtained, including contact details such as email addresses and phone numbers belonging to a range of high-profile individuals such as celebrities and politicians.
Similarly, in 2020, The worlds of aerospace, defense, and electric vehicles collided recently as three industry giants found themselves in the crossfire of a cyber attack.
Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, and Tesla were all targeted in a sophisticated hack, leaving their security teams scrambling to contain the damage.
The LockBit breach of Maximum Industries clearly serves as a reminder of the urgent need for companies to prioritize cybersecurity and take proactive measures to protect their sensitive data. It is essential to remain vigilant and implement best practices to mitigate the risk of cyber attacks.
