Russian hackers steal data of a celebrity cosmetic surgery company endorsed by Kerry Katona and Joey Essex and threaten to release intimate before-and-after photos of its patients
Russian hackers have stolen the data of a celebrity cosmetic surgery company and are threatening to release before and after photos of its patients.
The Hospital Group, which has been endorsed by stars including Kerry Katona, Joey Essex and Shameless actress Tina Malone, confirmed the ransomware attack and informed the Information Commissioner.
The hacker group REvil said on its darknet page that the 'intimate photos of customers' were 'not a completely pleasant sight'.
Hackers have stolen the data of cosmetic surgery company The Hospital Group which has been endorsed by celebrities including Kerry Katona
The hacker group REvil said on its darknet page that the 'intimate photos of customers' were 'not a completely pleasant sight'. Pictured: The Hospital Group endorser Joey Essex
The group claims it has obtained more than 900 gigabytes of photographs of the surgery's patients, the BBC reported.
REvil, which is believed to be based in Russia, previously hacked celebrity law firm Grubman, Shire, Meiselas & Sacks, which refused to pay the millions in ransom demanded.
The group has also targeted Madonna, Lady Gaga and Donald Trump, by encrypting a company's servers and then threatening to release or auction off their data unless a ransom is paid.
Big Brother star Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace previously revealed she had a boob job with The Hospital Group in 2009
The Hospital Group, the latest ransomware attack, claims to be the leading specialist weight loss and cosmetic surgery group in the UK.
The company has 11 clinics specialising in weight loss, breast enlargements, nipple corrections and nose adjustments.
Big Brother star Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace previously revealed she had a boob job with The Hospital Group in 2009.
The Hospital Group said: 'We can confirm that our IT systems have been subject to a data security breach.
The Hospital Group, endorsed by Shameless star Tina Malone , claims to be the leading specialist weight loss and cosmetic surgery group in the UK
What is REvil?
REvil, also known as Sodinokibi, is a group of hackers that recruits affiliates to distribute ransomware for them.
As part of the deal, REvil and the affiliates split any ransoms obtained using the group's malware.
Short for 'ransomware evil,' REvil refers to both the group and its software.
Members are known to speak Russian, and the group operates with impunity from somewhere in Russia or Eastern Europe.
'None of our patients' payment card details have been compromised but at this stage, we understand that some of our patients' personal data may have been accessed.'
The company said all customers have been emailed about the attack an individuals with more personal details will be contacted.
It is understood that many of the pictures obtained by REvil will not include the faces of the patients.
Law enforcement agencies recommend victims of ransomware should never pay up because it would fuel further criminality.
Cyber security firm Emisoft estimates criminals have pocketed £18billion from ransomware in 2020.
In a recent interview with a Russian-language tech blog, a purported representative of REvil said that the group's most successful method of attack was through Remote Desktop Protocol, which allows for remote administration of a desktop over the internet.
Security experts recommend disabling RDP on company computers, and say that the best protection against hackers is quickly and frequently updating software with the latest updates.