Posted on March 1, 2022 at 6:55 PM
Hacker threaten to released software to kill Limiter on Nvidia’s GPU
The threat actor that recently hit Nvidia with a ransomware attack has claimed to have had access to the company’s servers for a week. the group is now threatening to release the data unless Nvidia deletes the mining performance limiter on its RTX-series GPUs.
The mining limiter was introduced last year by Nvidia to prevent the mining of Ethereum by users by limiting the hash rate of RTX 30-series cards. The limitation was designed to discourage crypto miners from hoarding GPUs for mining purposes.
Nvidia Risks Losing 1TB Of Data
The company has previously decried the global shortage of graphic cards for gaming in the past two years following their increased use for crypto mining. As a result, Nvidia devised a means to limit this use of its GPU for mining. But it seems a particular hacking group is set to frustrate that effort. The group says it has in possession of 1TB of data from Nvidia.
Already, Lapsus$, a South American-based hacking syndicate, has taken credit for the DDoS incident. According to the group, the stolen folder contains drivers, schematics drivers, and other internal data, which are very valuable to Nvidia, according to the threat actors.,
Nvidia has tried several times to find a possible solution to the limiter issue. In some cases, it allowed the installation of malware while in other cases it unlocks a percentage of the general Ethereum mining performance of the GPU.
The Attack Has Not Connection With The Ukraine-Russia Conflict
Some cyber security researchers have suggested that the group may have started distributing or selling a bypass for version two of the hash rate. However, nothing concrete has been confirmed yet.
Nvidia initially described the hacking incident as “relatively minor” before other facts were known. The hardware manufacturer stated categorically that the incident is not related to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict.
On a similar note, the hacking group allegedly responsible for the attack stated that they have no interest in politics and that the attack was not state-sponsored.
Nvidia Has Not Contacted The Hackers Yet
There is no indication that Nvidia has made contact with the threat actors, who are seriously threatening to expose all the “important” files they discovered during the attack.
However, a spokesperson for Nvidia has commented on the situation. The spokesperson stated that the company is investigating the issue, which has interrupted its business and commercial activities. “We are still working to evaluate the nature and scope of the event,” the spokesperson added. However, no further information about the attack or the extent of damage suffered was shared.
Lapsus$, while defending the hacking incident, says it is an effort geared towards helping the “gaming and mining community. The group said making Nvidia release the limiter hash rate would help miners a great deal. However, they don’t know how the action will benefit gamers. Based on the group’s statement, it seems the target is to enable miners to utilize Nvidia’s GPUs for their various mining operations. Nvidia says it’s still investigating the incident and may take further actions to protect the integrity and safety of the servers.
Lapsus$ Has Already Released 19GB Of The Dara
Recently, a software tool that removes LHR was uploaded on GitHub and set to release. However, the GitHub page was shortly removed after it was discovered to install malware on users’ computers. But it’s not clear whether the incident was related to the activities of the hackers on Nvidia or an isolated incident.
In addition to the files, Lapsus$ also claimed to have possession of all the files about Falcon from the company.
While Nvidia is yet to make contact with the threat group, sources that have viewed some of the files claimed the data has the information the group claims.
The group even claimed that Nvidia has retaliated by hacking them. Although the report is not confirmed, the responsibilities of this type of retaliatory action make it unlikely for the company to go this route.
The hacking syndicate has already offered their loot to the highest bidder as they wait for the response of Nvidia regarding their demands. As of the time of writing, the group has released 19GB of the hacked data, which contains driver source code.
The group has promised not to leak the remaining data still in its possession of Nvidia to comply with its request.
