While ransomware continues to be a go-to tactic for hackers for extorting and manipulating victims out of money, not everyone impacted is willing to just pay up.
E-Sports Entertainment Association, which hosts competitive video game tournaments, was recently hit by a ransomware attack but refused to pay the $100,000 demanded of it.
As a result, hackers released stolen data about the company’s users, including emails, private messages, and phone numbers, Fortune reported.
“We do not give in to ransom demands and paying any amount of money would not have provided any guarantees to our users as to what would happen with their stolen data,” the ESEA said in a statement.
According to the stolen database tracker LeakedSource, the information of nearly 1.5 million ESEA users was compromised.
ESEA confirmed that it was first contacted by the hackers back on Dec. 27. The cybercriminals alerted the company that its computer network was broken into, user data was stolen and the information would be leaked online or sold on the black market unless they received the ransom payment.
Since the initial point of contact, ESEA said it had talked with the hackers via emails, sought legal counsel, alerted users and notified the FBI. It has since investigated the breach and addressed the vulnerabilities of its computer systems, telling users to update their passwords as well as any security questions and answers.
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