Hacker Demands $10 Million For Stolen Records From Virginia

A hacker who claims to have stolen 8 million records from a database that tracks prescription drug abuse in Virginia is demanding a $10 million ransom for the information’s return. The FBI and Virginia State Police are investigating.

The breach involves the Virginia Department of Health Professions’ (DHP) prescription drug-monitoring database.

The breach apparently happened April 30. The hacker posted a note on WikiLeaks.org — a Web site devoted to leaking documents — demanding the ransom and threatening to sell the data on the open market if the state did not pay.

“I have your s@*t! In *my* possession, right now, are 8,257,378 patient records and a total of 35,548,087 prescriptions,” the WikiLeaks note reads. “Also, I made an encrypted backup and deleted the original. Unfortunately for Virginia, their backups seem to have gone missing, too. Uhoh :(“