Company active in nuclear weapons program is victim of ransomware

US defense contractor Sol Oriens has been hit by ransomware. Among other things, the company works on the US nuclear weapons program. The company has been hit by the REvil ransomware, which has also stolen data from the company.

The company would have been infected in May, a spokesperson confirmed to the American CNBC. Sol Oriens has been hit by REvil ransomware, from a notorious Russian ransomware gang that offers the ransomware as malware-as-a-service. Sol Oriens is a company that assists, among others, the US Department of Defense with the implementation of the nuclear program, such as the management of the arsenal.

Data would also have been stolen from the company during the infection, a spokesperson confirmed. These include quotes to the National Nuclear Safety Administration, descriptions of the company’s recent research and development projects, and employee information. No state secret or confidential information was stolen, or data that could cause insecurity. However, the company tells CNBC that it is still working with a third party to investigate the full extent of the leak. The attackers would now threaten to make the information public if the company does not pay.