Hacker Group BlackBasta Claims Successful Attack on Advance America
The hacker group BlackBasta has claimed responsibility for an alleged cyber attack on Advance America, a large lender.
The group has released a sample of documents obtained from the hack, although their authenticity cannot be independently verified at this time.
- BlackBasta lists Advance America as one of its most recent victims
- Sample of leaked documents includes ID card scans of clients, an internal company budget report of 2023 and salary details of key executives
- Authenticity of the leaked files cannot be independently verified
- BlackBasta has a history of targeting English-speaking countries and is linked to other major breaches
BlackBasta claims to have successfully hacked Advance America, releasing a sample of documents to prove the authenticity of the attack.
These documents include ID card scans of clients, an internal company budget report for 2023, and salary details of key executives.
However, the authenticity of these files has yet to be independently verified.
The hacker group has not disclosed what ransom was requested from the American lender, nor when all the obtained files will be released to the public if the ransom is not paid.
Advance America has not reached back to us with a comment before the publication of this news article.
What is the BlackBasta hacker group?
BlackBasta is a relatively new ransomware group that gained media attention in 2022 for its attacks on organizations in English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, as well as the US.
It seems that the group uses a combination of purchased or stolen corporate network access credentials and the known Qakbot trojan to infiltrate their victim’s networks. Despite being a newish group, its members are thought to be experienced cybercriminals.
The BlackBasta hacker collective’s breach of Advance America presents a major threat to the security and privacy of the firm’s clients.
Consequences of the breach
The leaked information contains sensitive data, such as scans of ID cards, internal budget reports, and salary details of important executives. This info can be used to commit a range of cybercrimes, such as identity theft, various scams, and fraud.
The use of ID card scans could enable the creation of fake IDs and facilitate identity theft, which could have serious financial and reputational consequences for those affected by the alleged data breach.
Additionally, competitors may potentially gain an edge from accessing sensitive financial information leaked from the internal company budget report. The leak of salary details could lead to targeted attacks against key executives through phishing or spear-phishing attacks.
The consequences of this alleged data leak could be severe, with potential financial losses, reputational damage, and emotional distress for impacted individuals.
The damage to Advance America’s reputation could result in a loss of customer trust and hurt the company’s profits. Legal action and regulatory penalties may also result from the company’s failure to protect clients’ personal information.
Overall, the alleged BlackBasta hack against Advance America highlights the importance of strong cybersecurity measures and the need for companies to prioritize the protection of personal data.
It is crucial for companies to invest in robust security measures and ensure that their customers’ personal information is kept secure and private.
More about Advance America
Advance America is a large lender offering online loans and in-person lending at over 1,400 physical locations.
Catering to individuals with less-than-perfect credit, the company provides payday loans, installment loans, title loans, and personal lines of credit.
Loan amounts and interest rates vary by state and loan type, with some annual percentage rates (APRs) exceeding triple digits.
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7 Comments
Alnisa Joseph
November 1, 2024 6:04 am
I was one of the producers/consumer that was affected by the data breach. I reached out to Equifax whose actually supposedly handled all claimants, and they’re trying to tell me the address where I received the data breach letter is not on file. What are some other avenues can I take?
Ashton
March 16, 2024 12:02 am
Man this is crazy this could make a lot of hard working people life really hard. It’s sad I received a letter to and I’m just so confused as in what to do.
Concerned AA employee
September 14, 2023 6:37 pm
They were definitely hacked. I work for Advance America and the entire system was down for 3 weeks. Came in to work one day and every computer had been compromised. The only file accessible was a ransom note the hackers left behind with an onion link to go to for negotiations. I guess they didn’t give in to the demands because every computer in every center had to be replaced with new ones. They told employees to NOT discuss it or face termination. We also could not tell customers anything. All we could say was that the system was down for maintenance. Hell, even employee information was compromised and I got one of those letters too.
Ferdinand Minnifield
September 1, 2023 11:38 pm
I afraid they use information steal from me.
Tabatha
August 31, 2023 1:52 am
They were hacked and this is terrible!!
Deborah
May 31, 2023 3:28 am
I am worried they have been hacked again in May, 2023 because I have had to jump through a hundred hoops to get a payday loan and I am a regular customer. The money was supposed to be deposited into my account today but it wasn’t! Now I have to make another call to them during business hours tomorrow and I have already made numerous calls, chats and emails.
Amber
April 15, 2023 4:53 am
They absolutely hacked them because I remember in February we were unable to make a payment because their “system was down”