Boeing confirms cyberattack; Lockbit claims responsibility

Boeing (NYSE:) Co., a leading name in the aerospace and defense industry, confirmed today that its global-services division’s parts and distribution business was the target of a cyberattack. The company is now conducting an investigation in collaboration with law enforcement and regulatory bodies to address this security breach. Importantly, Boeing has assured that flight safety remains unaffected by the incident.

The cybercrime group Lockbit, known for its Russian affiliations, has claimed responsibility for the attack. This group has a notorious reputation for its modus operandi, which typically involves file-locking and demanding ransoms. In line with this pattern, Lockbit posted a threat on the dark web, warning of a significant data leak if their ransom demand was not met by today’s deadline.

As part of their response to the incident, Boeing is in the process of notifying customers and suppliers about this cybersecurity breach. However, details regarding any potential ransom payment have yet to be disclosed by the company.

Lockbit first appeared on Russian-language-based cybercrime forums in January 2020 and since then has executed over 1,700 attacks on U.S. organizations. The group was recognized as the most active global ransomware group last year and often announces its victims on its data leak blog.

While Boeing has not explicitly confirmed Lockbit’s involvement in the attack, it had been scrutinizing a cyber incident since Wednesday after Lockbit claimed theft of extensive sensitive data from its parts and distribution business. The group threatened to leak this data online if a November 2 ransom deadline was not met. Despite these threats, Boeing continues to cooperate with law enforcement while maintaining flight safety integrity.

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