Hackers who breached ION say ransom paid; company declines comment

FILE PHOTO: A man types on a computer keyboard in front of the displayed cyber code in this illustration picture taken on March 1, 2017.REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The hackers who claimed responsibility for a disruptive breach at financial data firm ION say a ransom has been paid, although they declined to say how much it was or offer any evidence that the money had been handed over.

ION Group declined to comment on the statement. Lockbit communicated the claim to Reuters via its online chat account on Friday but declined to clarify who had paid the money - saying it had come from a "very rich unknown philanthropist."