LockBit: Ransom paid for ION Group attack

The LockBit ransomware group claimed that the ransom demanded from financial data firm ION Group has been paid by a "very rich unknown philanthropist," but declined to provide more details regarding the transaction, Reuters reports. ION Group was impacted by a ransomware attack last Tuesday, resulting in the disruption of exchange-traded financial derivatives around the world. ABN Amro Clearing, one of ION Group's clients, said that the ransomware attack has prompted some of its applications to be offline for a "number of days." Despite the lack of evidence on the part of LockBit, the disappearance of ION's name from the operation's extortion website signifies that a deal may have been reached for the firm's data. "When a victim is delisted, it most commonly means either that the victim has agreed to enter negotiations or that it has paid," said Emsisoft ransomware expert Brett Callow, who added that LockBit may have also refused to proceed with the extortion for other reasons.