2021 National Rifle Association ransomware attack
On October 27, 2021, a Russian hacker group known as Grief published 13 documents attributed to the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) in a ransomware scam, claimed to have hacked the organization, and threatened to release more NRA documents if the undisclosed ransom was not paid. Background On October 21, 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation hacked and shut down REvil, a major hacking organization involved in ransomware scams. In response, other ransomware groups shared anti-United States messages on the dark web. Prior to the ransomware attack, the National Rifle Association had been involved in multiple legal disputes, which Recorded Future analyst Allan Liska argued may have made them an easier target for cyberattacks as attention within the organization was pulled away from their security. Ransomware attack Initial release of documents On October 27, 2021, Grief published 13 documents on their website as part of a ransomware scam, attributing them as internal documents belonging to the NRA and claiming to have hacked the organization. As reported in Wired, the hack likely took place within the week prior to the release of documents. The group threatened to release more files if the ransom (an undisclosed amount of money) was not