INC Ransomware attack claims refuted by Dollar Tree

Major U.S. discount retail chain Dollar Tree has repudiated the INC Ransom ransomware-as-a-service group's assertions of pilfering 1.2 TB of data from its systems, stating that the information had been stolen from the now-defunct discount shopping chain 99 Cents Only instead, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

"The files referenced in these claims appear to involve former 99 Cents Only employees. Dollar Tree's involvement with 99 Cents Only Stores is related to the purchase of select real estate lease rights following their closure. We did not acquire their corporate entity, systems/network, or data. Any allegation of Dollar Tree's involvement is inaccurate," said a Dollar Tree spokesperson. INC Ransom has become among the most prolific RaaS operations since its emergence two years ago, with the gang counting Michigan-based non-profit healthcare system McLaren Health Care, Dutch-Belgian multinational retail and wholesale holding firm Ahold Delhaize, and Japanese mobility manufacturer Yamaha Motor among its high-profile victims.