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Hacker targets art commissioning site Artists&Clients and threatens to share artworks in AI training datasets.
A new ransomware gang has emerged, sharing the details of its first victim alongside a unique form of cyber extortion.
The LunaLock group posted details of its first – and so far, only – victim in a 2 September leak post.
“We have breached the website Artists&Clients to steal and encrypt all its data. If you are a user of this website, you are urged to contact the owners and insist that they pay our ransom,” LunaLock said.
“If the ransom is not paid, we will release all data publicly on this Tor site, including source code and personal data of users.”
In addition, however, the hackers have also threatened to use the victim’s art in a particularly malicious manner.
“Additionally, we will submit all artwork to AI companies to be added to training datasets,” LunaLock said.
“If you are the owner of the website, you must contact us right away to negotiate payment! Follow the steps below!”
The rest of the post consists of instructions for making contact via the leak site’s dedicated online chat portal. According to the leak post, LunaLock is demanding a ransom of US$50,000, payable in either bitcoin or Monero, and due within four days. The leak post does include a copy of the group’s ransom note, however.
“This website has been breached! All your files, including your database and source code, have been stolen and encrypted. Unless you pay the ransom, the files will be leaked!” the note says.
“We will delete all stolen data and allow you to decrypt your files if you pay the ransom.”
The note is also relatively unique. Rather than a simple text file, the note is coded in HTML, complete with a link to LunaLock’s leak site, and an FAQ, complete with dropdown answers to questions such as “What if you scam me?” and “This is my website. What if I don’t pay the ransom?”
The hackers behind LunaLock appear to be native English speakers and technically proficient. While the group has not shared any evidence of the hack, Artists&Clients’ website is currently down, and the contents of LunaLock’s ransom note show up in the site preview of a Google Search for the company.
According to a description of the company on its X account, Artists&Clients “makes it easy and secure to commission an art piece for the clients, and to accept and manage the commissions for the artists”.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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