The cybercriminals earlier threatened to publish allegedly incriminating documents on the POTUS in a bid to pressure the law firm Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks to pay a ransom of $42 million for stolen data on their clients, mostly prominent celebrities.
A group of hackers known as REvil has published the first portion of so-called “dirty laundry” on US President Donald Trump, which they called the “most harmless” part of it, Forbes reported, citing information obtained from cybersecurity analyst Brett Callow.
REvil stole several gigabytes of files from the computer network of the law firm Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks and used the “dirt on Trump” card as an attempt to pressure the company into paying a $42 million ransom for the stolen data. However, there are no indications that Trump has ever used the company's services.
The group stated on 15 May that it gave the firm one week to pay the ransom before it releases the documents, but apparently chose to speed up the process after the FBI classified the case as “terrorism”, thereby eliminating the option for Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks to pay the ransom without breaking the law.
The 169 emails that the group reportedly released on the darknet mention Trump's name only in passing and have no incriminating value. But the group claims it has more than that. In a note accompanying the publication, REvil promises to start auctioning parts of the stolen information to the highest bidders each…