STORMOUS Hacking Group Claims Coca-Cola Breach

Global beverage titan Coca-Cola is reportedly investigating claims of a possible data breach after a ransomware group said it had stolen a trove of company data earlier this week. The hackers are actively trying to sell the stolen information to interested buyers for upwards of $64,000.

STORMOUS Group Claims Hack

A ransomware gang known as STORMOUS has claimed responsibility for the attack. The Russian-affiliated hacking group claims it hacked some of Coca-Cola’s servers, making off with around 161 GB of information without the company’s knowledge. STORMOUS is apparently looking to sell off the data for $64,396.67 or 1.6467 BTC.

Though the group is relatively new — first appearing in late 2021 — this isn’t the first time it has claimed a high-profile cyber theft. Earlier this year, STORMOUS claimed a breach of Epic Games, attempting to sell off over 200GB of data.

It has not yet been confirmed or verified by cybersecurity analysts and experts if Epic Games, nor any of STORMOUS’s other alleged victims, has actually been breached or not.

Response from Coca-Cola

In response to the claims, a Coca-Cola spokesperson told The Record that the company has informed law enforcement about the possible breach. Scott Leith, the company’s communications vice president released a statement saying: “We are aware of this matter and are investigating to determine the validity of the claim.”

The group has also previously tussled with US-based cybersecurity companies. It claims that it was attacked by these companies, which led to the suspension of its Telegram channel. However, STORMOUS did not mention the names of the US cybersecurity companies responsible. STORMOUS warned it would do its best to “disrupt the various western unions.”

Hackers Previously Pledged Support to Russian Government

Though believed to be more financially than politically motivated, STORMOUS has also made headlines by taking an anti-West stand in the past, pledging their support to Russia in the Ukraine conflict. In March, the group claimed it breached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, stealing passwords, phone numbers, emails and card numbers from military servers. The group also often posts messages in Arabic.

“The STORMOUS team has officially announced its support for the Russian governments. And if any party in different parts of the world decides to organize a cyberattack or cyberattacks against Russia, we will be in the right direction and will make all our efforts to abandon the supplication of the West, especially the infrastructure,” the group said in March.

“Perhaps the hacking operation that our team carried out for the government of Ukraine and a Ukrainian airline was just a simple operation but what is coming will be bigger!!,” it added.

If this story piqued your interest, we recommend checking out our explainer on ransomware. It will also tell you how you can remove the dangerous malware from infected devices.