Hackers Threaten to Leak Confidential Reddit Data, Demand $4.5 Million

Popular online platform Reddit is facing a significant security threat as hackers threaten to expose confidential data stolen from the company, TechCrunch is reporting.

The hackers, known as the BlackCat ransomware gang or ALPHV, have demanded a $4.5 million ransom payment from Reddit and the reversal of the controversial API price hikes.

The hackers claimed responsibility for a breach that occurred in February, during which they allegedly obtained 80 gigabytes of compressed data from Reddit’s systems.

While Reddit spokesperson Gina Antonini declined to provide specific details, she confirmed that BlackCat’s claims were related to a cyber incident that Reddit had acknowledged on February 9.

At that time, Reddit’s CTO Christopher Slowe stated that hackers had gained unauthorized access to employee information and internal documents through a targeted phishing attack.

However, Slowe emphasized that there was “no evidence” to suggest that personal user data, such as passwords and accounts, had been compromised.

Reddit’s new API pricing plans have sparked controversy, leading to the closure of popular third-party Reddit app Apollo and the temporary shutdown of numerous subreddits as a protest against the new policy.

When asked about their response to BlackCat’s demands, Reddit declined to provide any details.

BlackCat has previously been associated with cyberattacks, including a March incident targeting Western Digital, in which 10 terabytes of customer data were stolen.

The group also claimed responsibility for an attack on Ring, an Amazon-owned video surveillance company.