Threat mail to Wipro: Pay ~500 cr or face chemical attack

Information technology (IT) companies like Wipro and Infosys are facing threats from unknown messengers. Barely a month after Infosys’ Chennai office received an anonymous letter, along with a packet of “anthrax” power, demanding a ransom of ~ 500 crore, Wipro has received a similar threat.

Wipro on Friday received an anonymous email demanding ~500 crore worth currency in bitcoins as ransom by May 25, failing which its employees may be attacked using highly toxic ricin.

S Ravi, additional commissioner of police, cyber crime division of the Bengaluru Police, told reporters that the mail was sent to Wipro’s Sarjapura Road office reception from ‘Ramesh2@protonmail.com’. The mail said 1 kg of high-quality ricin would be used to kill employees, and the poison may be put in cafeteria food, toilet seats and toilet papers.

Protonmail, an email service inspired by Edward Snowden, an activist who leaked secret files of the US National Security Agency, encrypts mails at both ends. In an interview with Business Standard last year, Andy Yen, co-founder of ProtonMail, revealed that ProtonMail itself did not have the ability to read the emails of its users. About a month ago, an unknown messenger dropped a suspicious parcel with white powder, claiming it to be ‘anthrax powder’, at Infosys’ Sholinganallur office in Chennai, and demanded ~500 crore in ransom. The messenger threatened to spread anthrax at the company’s campus, if the ransom was not paid. The message on a paper also contained a QR code.

While Wipro has beefed up security measures across locations and lodged a complaint with the local cyber crime division, an investigation on the Chennai incident is still on. However, an Infosys spokesperson said the security personnel had not found anthrax in the packet later.

In the latest case, what is surprising to the cyber experts is the demand of ransom in bitcoins.

The mail said 1 kg of high-quality ricin would be used to kill employees, and the poison may be put in cafeteria food, toilet seats and toilet papers

So far, demands for bitcoins have been in the context of cyber crimes against individuals using ransomware attacks. This is the first time I am hearing of a corporation being asked to pay up in bitcoins to avoid an attack on their facilities,” said Sunil Abraham, executive director, The Centre for Internet & Society.

A probe has also been started based on the threats against Wipro. “Wipro has filed a complaint with the local law enforcement authorities after receiving a threatening letter from an unidentified source. Wipro has augmented security measures at all its office locations. There is no impact on the company's operations. We have no further comment as the investigation is going on,” said a Wipro spokesperson. Analysts say such threats may hardly impact the operational activities of firm since there are chances that they may turn out to be “hoax”. However, a Bengaluru-based analyst said firms should have strong protocol and implement that to thwart any possible attack.