Hacker says US telco paid about US$400,000 to erase sensitive data

An analysis of a Bitcoin wallet address provided by the hacker shows a transaction in mid-May that analysts say aligns with an extortion payment. — AFP

A hacker who claims to have stolen sensitive call and text logs from AT&T Inc said they were paid about US$400,000 (RM1.87mil) to erase the data trove.

An analysis of a Bitcoin wallet address provided by the hacker shows a transaction in mid-May that analysts say aligns with an extortion payment. A person familiar with the ransomware negotiations, who asked not to be named to discuss confidential matters, confirmed the payment from AT&T to the hacker. Whether AT&T used an intermediary to pay hackers wasn’t immediately clear.