A hacked real estate group in Kelowna is investigating the fallout of some sensitive information that was sucked off and on the Internet.
RE / MAX Kelowna has confirmed that its servers were breached by a malicious group during a software update in early February.
Although the real estate group learned of the breach and closed it within “minutes,” RE / MAX Kelowna owner Jerry Redman confirmed that some data had been stolen.
However, he said less than one percent of the data on the server was extracted – none of it came from clients.
“There is no client data on this server … anyone with information on this server has been informed because they are all my employees or work for us,” said Redman.
At the time, the group believed that no data had leaked until they were notified in the days that followed.
On February 4th, the information was posted online by a well-known ransomware group, which anyone with the link can view. In the past, the group was known to steal data and keep it as a ransom. She threatens to lose it online if payment is not received.
Redman said RE / MAX Kelowna was not held as a ransom because the breach stopped.
However, some documents could have been leaked online. A link shows a folder with 10,612 documents of different meaning. from quarterly billing to buyer / seller records and internal bank account information.
According to the website, thousands have viewed the link to date. The link to the online folder will remain active from February 10th.
Redman’s team is now focused on investigating the matter with the assistance of a cyber security company and they hope to learn more in the coming weeks. He said security is of the utmost importance.
Brett Callow, an Emsisoft anti-malware threat researcher who helped uncover the breach, said companies can significantly reduce the risks to their business by sticking to security best practices.
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Do you have anything to add to this story or anything else we should cover? Email: phil.mclachlan@kelownacapnews.com
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