Bet9ja reassures customers following cyber-attack by Russian hackers
Nigerian bookmaker restores services after being targeted by ransomware attack involving BlackCat Group
Ayo Ojuroye, the co-founder and CEO of leading Nigerian bookmaker Bet9ja, has reassured clients that all accounts, data and funds are safe after the site was paralysed by hackers.
A ransomware attack perpetrated by Russian hacking network BlackCat Group reportedly involved Bet9ja receiving a demand for 141 billion naira (£260m) in order to regain control of the highjacked site.
In a statement released on the firm’s website, Ojuroye said: “The past few days have been challenging for us as a business. In the early hours of Wednesday, 6 April, 2022 we suffered an unprovoked and unjustified sophisticated criminal cyber-attack on our platform.
“We can confirm that the ransomware attack came from the BlackCat Group,” Ojuroye added.
“As Nigeria’s leading and foremost sports betting company, we want to assure you that we have taken these steps because we know the importance of protecting you, our customers. I want to assure you that your data is safe and your funds are intact.”
BlackCat Group, which has claimed responsibility for the cyber-attack, is a Russia-based organisation behind several ransomware attacks in recent months, including an attack on Seattle-based Expeditors International and Cisco Talos.
The Nigerian government has condemned the attack via a statement released by the management of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission in the capital, Abuja.
The statement said: “As the apex regulator of lotteries and gaming in Nigeria, we entirely condemn such a nefarious act that has adversely affected the company’s operations, temporarily.
“However, we gladly state that Bet9ja is already on top of the matter, and normalcy will return to their business operations.”
According to Cisco Talos, BlackCat Group is a new and rising faction of the ransomware-as-a-service scene.