40,000 euros offered for identities of online blackmailers
The online gambling site jaxx.de operated by Fluxx AG of Hamburg has been blackmailed since Sunday with a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack for payment of 40,000 euros to the perpetrators, who are probably in eastern Europe. The company did not give in to the demand, but instead immediately contacted the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the German Bureau for Security in Information Technology (BSI) to put an end to the criminal actions. Anzeige
In a press release on the issue, the company quoted the blackmailers letter:
"... we demand payment of 40,000 euros. This money has to be wired via Western Union. This transaction is a minute transferal. In other words, if you transfer today and we are not prevented from withdrawing the money, we will stop the attack tonight. You will, no doubt, call the police, which you have the right to do. But I would like to inform you that your no. 1 competitor has already paid. ..."
Fluxx AG has apologized to its customers for any limited access to the site and offered a bonus. It also points out that the defensive measures taken by the companys administrators in cooperation with Internet providers have not succeeded in stopping the DDoS attacks. The company did, however, state that the security of the data on the online systems was at no time in danger. It is offering 40,000 euros to anyone who can lead the police to the blackmailers.
Last year, various gambling websites were blackmailed just before the World Football Cup, though the amount demanded was less: 15,000 US dollars
2005-08-12
