Conti Striked Advantech Chip Maker

Industrial computer manufacturer Advantech Co. Ltd. has been hit with a ransomware attack, and those behind the attack are demanding a ransom of 750 bitcoin ($13.8 million).

Based in Taiwan, Advantech is the world’s largest supplier of industrial computers, with a 34% market share as of 2018. The company also manufactures network devices, servers, industrial “internet of things” devices and healthcare solutions.

The attack took place on Nov. 19 involved Conti ransomware. Those behind the Conti ransomware attack are said to have offered full data decryption and a promise to delete the data they had stolen if the ransom was paid with a threat to start releasing stolen data if payment was not made. Since no payment has made , hackers released 2% of data and threatend to release further

Advantech confirmed the attack Nov. 26, saying that some of its servers were affected but recovery efforts were underway. The company said its systems were operating normally and orders, production and shipments had not been affected.

The ransomware is offered on a ransomware-as-a-service basis. Those behind the Conti ransomware allow other hackers to use the code either for a direct payment or for a share of any ransom payment made using the ransomware code.

Conti, along with Ryuk was named in an advisory from various U.S. government agencies Oct. 29 as being used to target hospitals and healthcare providers. Emphasizing the distribution method, the advisory noted that both forms of ransomware were being distributed by TrickBot and BazarLoader.