Dutch medical software company Chipsoft has confirmed it is negotiating with the criminals behind this month’s hack on its systems, broadcaster NOS reported on Friday.
A group calling itself Embargo posted a message on the dark web on Monday claiming to hold 100 GB of Chipsoft data, alongside two countdown clocks set to expire this week. The threat has since been taken down.
“To protect the interests of all parties involved, we cannot make any further statements at this time”, a company spokesperson told NOS, confirming that talks with the criminals were continuing.
Pressure tactic
Harm Teunis of cybersecurity firm ESET said the countdown clocks were designed to pressure victims into paying. The disappearance of the threat often signals that a company has paid to stop data being published, he said, but could also reflect a step in ongoing negotiations.
Embargo describes itself on the dark web as an “international team without political ties”. ESET has tracked the group since June 2024 and says it uses “double extortion” – encrypting victims’ files and stealing data to use as leverage. Other recent targets include hospitals in the US.
Chipsoft has previously confirmed that family doctors, rehabilitation clinics and the Rotterdam Eye Hospital were affected through its cloud-hosted HiX 365 platform, but has not said how many patients had data stolen. People with questions should contact their own family doctor or care provider, the company said.
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