Elon Musk's controversial place as head of the Department of Government Efficiency is continuing to take its toll, and with the' Big Balls Ransomware’ attack sending shockwaves through the special government organization, it looks like the tech billionaire is the latest target of these hackers.
It's been a rough year for Elon Musk, and while his position as a 'special government employee' means he can only work with the DOGE for 130 days, those days could cost him dearly.
Musk's fortunes have taken a hit, with him looking devastated when he lost a jaw-dropping $29 billion in a single day. His other ventures have been equally slammed, as Tesla has wiped some $981 billion off its profits.
All of this could be pocket change compared to what hackers are after, trolling the world's richest man with a demand for $1 trillion. While Musk was once on track to become the world's first trillionaire, he's still some way off. Also, imagine if he were forced to give away his entire fortune (currently sitting at $373.8 billion).
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Things were kicked off by an April 14 report from threat intelligence platform Cyble, explaining how one ransomware group is targeting a 'high profile' individual within the DOGE and threatening them with everything from conspiracy theories to their name and address. The threat has been referred to DOGE Big Balls in reference to the staffer of the same name, and now, Mr. Musk could be next in the firing line.
Forbes reports that the ransomware hackers have now upped the ante. An April 21 security report by Micro Trend researchers Nathaniel Morales and Sarah Pearl Camiling says that the ransom note has been updated and is currently mocking Musk over his now-infamous 'five things' email. The updated note reads: "Give me five bullet points on what you accomplished for work last week or you owe me a TRILLION dollars."
The cost of cybercrime to individuals and organizations across the USA in 2024 was reported at $16.6 billion, while the FBI claims the FOG ransomware threat used in the Big Balls attack is the most reported new variant.
Dr Ilia Kolochenko, CEO at ImmuniWeb, warned that a 'growing number' organizations are opting to silently settle with these bad actors, although Musk doesn't exactly have $1 trillion hiding down the side of the couch. Musk is no stranger to being targeted by hackers, while he regularly draws the attention of hacktivist group Anonymous.
The ransomware attackers look like they mean business, writing: "We are the ones who encrypted your data and also copied some of it to our internal resource."
They advise the victim to get in touch soon, ASAP, adding a "Don't snitch now” warning in the updated note. They've apparently threatened the unknown DOGE staffer with accurate coordinates to prove they're serious.
Even though some think Musk could be disappearing from politics altogether, the repercussions from his short stint in politics are likely to still rumble on long after he's stopped frolicking with Teslas on the front lawn of the White House.