French industrial giant Schneider Electric is facing a new cyberattack, the third in two years. The “Hellcat” hacker group threatens to disclose 40 GB of sensitive data, initially demanding an unusual ransom of $125,000 in baguettes before changing its mind and demanding payment in Monero crypto.
Hackers prefer ransom in bread rather than crypto
On November 7, 2024, Schneider Electric confirmed that it was the subject of a cyberattack targeting one of its internal project monitoring platforms. A group of hackers, operating under the name “Hellcat” and represented by a Twitter user named Grep, penetrated the company's systems to steal confidential customer and operational information.
The particularity of this attack lies in the hackers' initial request: $125,000 converted into French baguettesa requirement that quickly turned into a demand for payment in Monero, a crypto known for its high level of privacy.
According to Huseyin Can Yuceel, security researcher at Picus, this unusual request appears to be a marketing strategy aimed at distinguishing this new group in the ransomware scene.
A new blow for Schneider Electric’s cybersecurity
This intrusion marks the third data breach suffered by Schneider Electric in less than 24 months. Last February, the Cactus ransomware had already compromised its Sustainability Business division, while in June 2023, the company was a victim of the CL0P team during the MOVEit attacks.
The hackers claim to have more than 400,000 lines of user data and directly challenged CEO Olivier Blum in their message. They highlight the company's impressive turnover (36 billion euros at the end of 2023) to justify their ransom demand.
The company quickly responded by declaring that it was “investigating the incident” while specifying that its “products and services are not affected”, the attack being limited to an isolated environment.
This succession of attacks raises crucial questions about the robustness of Schneider Electric's defense systems, while cyberattacks are increasing in the industrial sector. The demand for ransom in baguettes, although comical, may have attracted media attention to this criminal group, which may have been their true goal.
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