Yes, you read that correctly. Fortinet, a cybersecurity giant, was hacked. And this isn't just any hack—440GB of sensitive data has been leaked.
What is the best part? The hacker refers to themselves as “Fortibitch.” If that doesn't say “we've lost control of the narrative,” nothing does.
Fortinet, which is known for securing other people's data, recently had their own data stolen by a hacker, who dumped the files like yesterday's trash on a hacking forum.
The files were allegedly stolen from their Azure SharePoint server, and the hacker generously shared the credentials to the stash for other hackers to use. It's like a party, but instead of confetti, there's your personal information.
Fortinet's public statement is a masterclass in minimizing a disaster. They claim the breach affected less than 0.3% of customers, which is a small number unless you're one of the lucky ones.
The breach was confirmed to have affected some individuals in the Asia-Pacific region.
Fortinet quickly reassured the public that no ransomware, encryption, or full-scale corporate meltdown had occurred… yet.
Apparently, the hacker had no access to Fortinet's corporate network, only a “small” third-party cloud-based file-sharing system containing customer information.
The hacker whose name is “Fortibitch” (can't make this stuff up), claimed they stole 440GB of data and stored it in an Amazon S3 bucket.
To add insult to injury, they mocked Fortinet CEO Ken Xie for refusing to engage in ransom negotiations.
The hacker claims Xie would “rather eat some p**p than pay a ransom.” Honestly, the drama here is superior to a Netflix series.
Despite the ridicule, Fortinet appears to believe everything is under control. They stated that they have contacted the affected customers and assured the public that nothing too unusual has occurred… yet.
But seriously, If Fortinet's cybersecurity was any better, we might not be reading about Fortibitch right now.
Oh, don't worry; Fortinet had this under control. After about 6 months of realizing something had gone horribly wrong, they “swiftly” cut off access to the hacker.
They even enlisted the help of forensic experts to ensure that everything was patched up properly.
So, nothing to see here, correct? For half a year, only 440GB of customer data remained in the wind. Completely normal.
Fortinet claims that the breach will have no financial consequences (because why would it?), and that everything is back to normal in their world.
However, if you were one of the lucky customers whose data was included in that 0.3%, you should keep an eye on your inbox in case your private information begins to circulate on the internet.