The FBI warns that scammers are using fake ransom notes sent to US business executives to impersonate Bian ransomware gangs.
The fake ransom memo, originally reported by the US cybersecurity company GuidePoint Security, claims that hackers are accessing the organization's network to steal sensitive data and threatening to release stolen data unless ransom demand is paid.
According to the FBI, fraudsters are being asked between $250,000 and $500,000. This includes the letter with a QR code linked to a Bitcoin wallet. The memo claims it comes with a return address to an office building in Boston, Massachusetts, and is from a Bian ransomware gang.
The Bianlian gang, associated with Russia, was subject to CISA alerts last November, warning that since June 2022 the group had targeted multiple US critical infrastructure sectors.
We don't know how many individuals were targeted for this scam. The FBI does not name it a known victim. Cybersecurity company Arctic Wolf reports that the letter was primarily sent to senior executives in the US healthcare sector.
The FBI says it does not identify the relationship between the individual who sends the ransom note and the Bianlian.