Ransomware gang says it stole data from 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers have been hit by a ransomware attack, with cybercriminals claiming they stole some of the football team’s financial data.

The ransomware gang BlackByte recently posted some of the purportedly stolen team documents on a dark website in a file marked “2020 Invoices.” The gang did not make any of its ransom demands public or specify how much data it had stolen or encrypted.

The 49ers, who are among the most valuable and storied franchises in the NFL and lost 20-17 to the Rams in the NFC championship game Jan. 30, said in a statement Sunday that they recently became aware of a “network security incident” that had disrupted some of their corporate IT network systems. The 49ers said they had notified law enforcement and hired cybersecurity firms to assist.

“To date, we have no indication that this incident involves systems outside of our corporate network, such as those connected to Levi’s Stadium operations or ticket holders,” the team said in a statement, referencing its home stadium.

News of the attack comes two days after the FBI and U.S. Secret Service issued an alert on BlackByte ransomware, saying it had “compromised multiple U.S. and foreign businesses, including entities in at least three U.S. critical infrastructure sectors” since November.

Ransomware gangs, which hack targets and hold their data hostage through encryption, have caused widespread havoc in the last year with high-profile attacks on the world’s largest meat-packing company, the biggest U.S. fuel pipeline and other targets. Western governments have pledged to crack down on the cybercriminals, who operate largely in and around Russia, but have little to show for their efforts.