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Cencora, a healthcare solutions provider, paid a total of $75 million to a ransomware group earlier this year.
The publicly traded drug distributor, formerly known as AmerisourceBergen, reportedly sent Bitcoin worth $75 million to cyberattackers following a data breach in February.
Details of the Ransom Payment
According to a report on September 18, sources familiar with the matter indicated that Cencora sent the hackers Bitcoin in three transactions. The attackers had initially demanded $150 million from the pharmaceutical solutions provider.
Blockchain Investigation Reveals More
While the initial report did not share the details of the three transactions, blockchain sleuth ZachXBT provided further insights. The respected crypto scam and blockchain security investigator identified the hackers as the Dark Angels ransomware group.
In a post after the news emerged, ZachXBT revealed that Cencora sent 296.5 BTC on March 7, 2024, with the transaction timestamped at 10:04 pm UTC. The next two transfers occurred on March 8, 2024—the first of 408 BTC at 7:45 pm UTC and the next totaling 387 BTC at 9:39 pm UTC.
“All three addresses were funded from the same source and the funds flowed to addresses with high illicit fund exposure.”
ZachXBT explained that he used clues from the initial report, which mentioned that Cencora paid the extortionists in three installments in March 2024. On-chain data supported his conclusions.
Record-Breaking Ransom Payment
The $75 million ransom is reportedly the highest of such payments in history, surpassing previous incidents where payments exceeded $40 million—the last of which occurred in 2021.
Earlier this year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that ransomware attacks had defrauded over 250 companies across the U.S., Europe, and Australia.
Decline in Ransomware Payments
While ransomware attacks using crypto schemes continue to be a concern, a report in May 2024 showed that payments to such attackers declined by nearly 50% in 2023.
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