Threatening to expose its secrets ... A group of Russian hackers infiltrate Apple and demand 50 million dollars

CNBC published a report in which it quoted sources within "Apple" (Apple) exposure to blackmail by a group of hackers after the theft of dangerous files about the manufacture of its products.

The hacking group, known as REvil, announced through a note posted on the Internet that it had infiltrated a supplier of Apple equipment called "Quanta Computer", and demanded a ransom of $ 50 million or else it would publish sensitive internal documents.

The attempted blackmail, which came early this week, represents a major escalation of a well-known hacker group.

Experts say to CNBC that it could herald a new era of intrepid ransomware attackers who are sheltering in Russia and have the power to confront the largest companies in the world.

This gang of hackers is considered one of the 10 most dangerous cybercrime organizations in the world, and is known for infiltrating major companies around the world, and demanding ransoms is usually a bitcoin.

US cybersecurity experts say the group has a long list of criminal activity against Western companies.

Their analysis indicates that the hacking group "Revell" is largely made up of Russian speakers, and it is likely that they are located in a former Soviet country.

Regardless of their identity, they publish their stolen documents on a website called "Happy Blog".

Mark Bleacher of Arete Incident Response, a cybersecurity firm specializing in negotiations with criminal pirates, said his company had dealt with incidents of the Revel group 32 times in the past 90 days alone.

"I think - as you know - based on what we've seen so far that this may be just the tip of the iceberg over the past few months, and what we will soon begin to see are victims of institutions of the same size and stature as Apple."

Hackers hacked into a supplier of Apple equipment called "Quanta Computer" and demanded a ransom of $ 50 million (French)

The security consulting firm Bleicher has analyzed the group's 173 previous attacks, and says it can see some change in the gang's operating pattern.

The company believes that attacking Apple by name and demanding $ 50 million is very different from what "Reveal" had done in the past, as it found that 31% of the companies attacked by the group worked in the field of professional services and not technology.

Playshire also found that the average ransom demand was also much lower in the past, as it was just under $ 728,000, and after price negotiations the average ransom actually paid was lower than that.

The security consulting firm believes that it is a professional process carried out by specialists in several fields, from customer service teams and program support teams to the market for recruiting new infiltrators in the organization.

"PlayShare" provided "CNBC" with a written announcement in Russian about a vacancy for the "Revell" group that I found on the dark web.

The advertisement says, "We have one position for someone who can access networks that already have active access. Monday we will announce one of our biggest attacks. We are working 24/7, we are stable, we are making money, a lot of money, we are waiting for you, send a message." directly".

Charles Karmacall, senior vice president at cybersecurity firm FireEye, said his rough estimate is that the gang has raised a total of $ 100 million so far, meaning that a $ 50 million ransom would be a huge step for the group, but it's all in this. The criminal underworld is negotiable.

"I have seen other organizations asking for 50 million dollars, nobody realistically pays that much money, they will try to negotiate it down to a reasonable and somewhat feasible number if they decide to pay," Karmakal added.

He said that asking for a ransom with this huge amount is more than just money.

One possibility that the mockery featured in the ransom note is that there have been private negotiations that didn't finish well from the hacker's point of view, so they are now exploiting that for propaganda and intimidation.

"These groups usually tend to amplify their messages and try to coerce the victims after they feel they are not ready to pay," Karmakal said.

But why do companies send such huge payments to criminal gangs at all?

In this regard, Karmakal said that companies look at the potential damage and often conclude that they have no other option. "Many organizations feel compelled to pay because they do not want that data to appear."

"They feel that they have an obligation towards their shareholders, their partners or towards the customer to prevent that data from making its way into the open market," he added.

The gang demanded that Apple pay by May 1, and said it would release more data every day, but so far no other data on Apple has been published on the dark web.

This could be one indication - experts say - that ransom negotiations are already underway.