The Duvel Moortgat brewery refused to pay ransom to hackers after a hacker attack in March. They then post the stolen data online. The leaked data mainly concerns American customers.

The criminals who hacked the Duvel Moortgat brewery in March posted stolen data online this weekend. The leak comes after Duvel Moortgat refused to pay a ransom, HLN understands. This is the second time the brewery has set a good example since the hack.

Attackers broke into Duvel via the systems of the American subsidiary Boulevard Brewing Company. They were able to temporarily stop the brewery’s production, but the brewery recovered very quickly from the cyberattack. Just enough isolated backup systems were hit, meaning Duvel was back up and running in just a few days. In the event of a larger and successful cyberattack, this is a good outcome. In many cases, it takes weeks for a company to recover from an attack.

ransom

The hackers had stolen data and threatened to leak it online. Duvel Moortgat was able to buy out these plans by paying a ransom. This is a proven technique used by hackers and is central to their revenue model. Duvel does not seem to have given in to the demand, so the attackers have now carried out their threat.

Ethical hacker Inti De Ceukelaire was able to view the leaked data. He pointed out that the loot mainly related to the company’s American branch. For example, sensitive data such as passports were leaked, but only of American origin. There doesn’t seem to be much impact for Belgium.

Although it is of course not ideal for hackers to share a victim’s sensitive data online, Duvel Moortgat did the best he could. Ransomware attacks and data theft only occur because it is a successful revenue model for criminals. Those who pay sponsor this revenue model. Non-payment has dire consequences because data is leaked, but ultimately ensures that criminals go home empty-handed.