Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
  • Elon Musk confirmed on Thursday Tesla was the target of a failed, "serious" ransomware attack.
  • The US Department of Justice on Tuesday charged Russian national Egor Igorevich Kriuchkov with trying to bribe an employee at a Nevada-based company to install malware for him, offering R16,6 million in return.
  • The DOJ didn't name the company in its complaint, but Electrek reported it was Tesla on Thursday.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday confirmed reports that the company was the target of a botched ransomware attack.

Russian national Egor Igorevich Kriuchkov was accused by the US Department of Justice on Tuesday of offering R16,6 million to an employee at a company in Nevada — identified only as company A — to install malware on the company's systems.

Electrek reported Thursday that the unnamed company was Tesla, which Musk confirmed in a tweet. "This was a serious attack," Musk tweeted.

Kriuchkov allegedly met with this employee multiple times, taking them for dinner and drinks. The idea was for the malware, installed via a USB or an email attachment, would siphon off company data, which would then be held to ransom for R67 million.

The employee in question reportedly told Tesla about Kriuchkov's proposition, and the company contacted the FBI. According to the complaint, the employee co-operated with the FBI, recording conversations with Kriuchkov when agents couldn't eavesdrop.

The complaint states that Kriuchkov asked the employee whether there was anyone at Tesla they wanted to "teach a lesson" and frame for the attach.

According to Electrek's report, Kriuchkov was arrested by the FBI as he tried to leave the US from Los Angeles on August 22.

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