Australian iron ore miner Fortescue Metals has been the target of a cyber-attack, with Russian ransomware group C10pm claiming credit, including for the theft of data.
Fortescue confirmed the hack, describing it as “a low-impact cyber incident” that occurred on 28 May.
The information disclosed “was not confidential in nature,” Fortescue said in a statement, resulting in “the disclosure of a small portion of data from our networks”.
“We notified the Australian Cyber Security Centre of the incident, and our internal investigation and remediation actions are now complete,” Fortescue said.
Fortescue Metals is the fourth-largest iron ore exporter in the world, with a market capitalisation of nearly $70bn.
The veracity of C10p’s claim about the nature of the hack is not known.
It posted: “The company doesn’t care about its customers, it ignored their security!!!” – a regular boast the gang makes about claimed attacks.
It has used the same precise form of words over previous hacks.
C10p says its cyber-attacks are “only financial motivated [sic]” and that it “do[es] not care anything about politics”.
The group said no Fortescue documents or data had yet been leaked, giving the world’s fourth-largest iron ore exporter a chance to negotiate over a potential ransom.
C10p is one of the world’s most active and aggressive ransomware groups: its list of reported victims is more than 100 companies globally.
Earlier this week, Fortescue Metals cleared its executive chair, Andrew Forrest, of any wrongdoing after it ordered a secret review into an anonymous allegation that Forrest had had a relationship with an employee. It found the allegation unsubstantiated.
Last week, Forrest and his wife, Nicola, announced they were separating after 31 years of marriage.
