A cyber crime group hoarding stolen data has exposed the identities and firm details of dozens of victims of a global mega attack.
Clop, a hacker organization, began uploading company names to its darknet website on Wednesday.
Twenty-six organizations, including banks and universities, have been added in an attempt to compel victims to pay.
Federal agencies in the United States have also been targeted.
According to CNN, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is “assisting several federal agencies that have experienced intrusions affecting their MOVEit applications.”
It is unknown whose agencies have been compromised or what data has been stolen, but cyber authorities say they do not foresee a substantial impact.
The massive hack is thought to have affected hundreds of organizations worldwide, with about 50 confirmed so far by either the firms themselves or the hackers.
Companies from the United States, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada can be found on the hacker’s so-called “leak site.”
Shell, the oil company, was posted on Wednesday and has subsequently verified that it is a victim.
The BBC has chosen not to name the other companies.
Clop’s leak sites are used by ransomware gangs to “name and shame” victims into paying by posting company biographies. It is a well-worn and frequently profitable method.
“Once Clop names companies to its data leak site, the group will begin rounds of negotiations with affected organizations, demanding ransom payments to avoid having their data compromised,” said Chris Morgan, senior cyber threat intelligence analyst at ReliaQuest.
According to Mr Morgan, the hackers would hope that the victims contact them and set a timeframe for when their data will be made public.
Clop has been known to demand hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars in ransom, but police agencies around the world discourage victims from paying since it encourages criminal groups.
The MOVEit breach was initially revealed on May 31, when US business Progress Software announced that hackers had discovered a means to break into its MOVEit Transfer application.
MOVEit is software designed to move sensitive files securely and is widely used around the world, with the majority of its customers based in the United States.
Progress Software stated that it immediately notified consumers of the attack and offered a free security upgrade.
However, the crooks had already used their credentials to gain access to the databases of potentially hundreds of additional companies.
Zellis, a payroll services firm situated in the United Kingdom, was a MOVEit user who was later compromised. Zellis has confirmed that data from eight UK organizations, including home addresses, national insurance numbers, and, in certain cases, bank details, was stolen as a result of the breach.
Not all businesses have had the same information exposed.
Customers of Zellis that have been compromised include the BBC, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Boots.
