The notorious hacking group OurMine is at it again, this time leaking Vevo videos and releasing 3.12 TeraBytes of data to the public.
The group is very fond of hacking the social media accounts of prominent business personalities, as well as celebrities.
Apart from that, OurMine has facilitated various types of hacks targeting tech giants such as YouTube, networks like Home Box Office (HBO) and, most recently, the data leaking website WikiLeaks.
Personalities hacked by OurMine include Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Werner Vogels (Amazon), Jack Dorsey (Twitter), and many others.
Over the years, OurMine has established itself as a group whose sole intention is not only to create cyber security awareness but also to improve it.
This has been manifested by the messages they leave behind after they have facilitated a cyber attack on their target.
Based on how the group undertakes its activities, it is evident that OurMine prefers when the other party cooperates with them rather than ignoring the stakes of the hack.
And in the case of Vevo, it is reported that the leak occurred after the company expressed an unwillingness to communicate with the group.
Before the data was released, OurMine tried to reach out to the representatives of the company explaining to them the weakness of their security, but they were met with a very harsh tone that prompted them to release the data.
Due to the sensitivity of such information, which has the potential to cause losses running into the millions of dollars, perhaps OurMine intends to show its perceived targets to not only take their threats seriously but listen to a word of advice regarding the security of their systems.
The hack is expected to have affected about 90 artists whose personal data was compromised.
Reports indicate that some of these artists include Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, the Weekend, U2, and the list goes on.
In the dossier, the details released include promotional material, videos, weekly music charts and pre-planned social media content.
However mild the content, it is evident that the hacking group makes its threat real and is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that they drive their message home.
Due to the nature of the hacks carried out by OurMine and the way in which the group conducts its activities, one would wonder why they always target large enterprises.
The real reason is perhaps the fact that they want to gain preeminence over other hacking groups.
Further, by targeting large tech companies and websites, it is easy for them to get the attention of international media from across the globe.
This has proven to be a very effective marketing strategy.
And since OurMine leaves its contacts behind, the group tends to have individual persons and companies reaching out to them directly.
Presently, it is difficult to tell if the group's mode of operation is advantageous because such information is highly confidential.
But it seems if they keep on doing the same thing over and over, then it probably works for them.
As it is now, it is not clear how the hackers managed to infiltrate the Vevo systems and exactly how much data has been obtained. But with time, the group may give out more details.
Meanwhile, some media reports indicate that the hack was as a result of a phishing scam from LinkedIn.
Whatever the case, OurMine's website says the group has taken down the other documents it exposed.
This is because of Vevo, in one way or the other, came to a consensus with OurMine to sort the issue amicably.
Despite this, a section of persons or a group who had earlier obtained the dossier still have possession of it.
When files are leaked on the internet, the rate at which they spread is extremely fast, and as a result, it is impossible to tell which third-parties have managed to get a hold of the data.
For this reason, as in the case for OurMine, despite pulling down the dossier for one reason or the other, it remains evident that there are those who may still be in possession of it.
It is therefore obvious that OurMine, which can be considered as the most notorious cyber gang of this generation, will stop at nothing to ensure that their threats are taken seriously.
In other news, this is not the first instance in which a major company has been targeted by a cyber attack.
This reason, combined with the fact that the practice of hacking is constantly evolving with new technologies and techniques, the world will continue to see an increase in the rate of cyber attacks targeting various corporate entities.
And the fact that OurMine has proved its dominance in multiple attacks means that other groups are likely to come forth and perhaps try the same technique to see if it will work for them too.
Therefore, a ripple effect is likely to be witnessed in future.
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