[News](/news) Aramco Targeted in a $50 Million Cyber-Extorsion Campaign [Blog](/blog)[Breaches](/breaches)[Resources](/resources)[News](/news) # Aramco Targeted in a $50 Million Cyber-Extorsion Campaign ##### [Edward Kost](/team/edward-kost) July 22, 2021 Saudi oil giant, [Aramco](https://www.upguard.com/security-report/aramco), is currently battling a cyber-extortion campaign involving a $50 million ransom and 1 terabyte of leaked company data. The data was found published on the darknet - an encrypted sector of the internet supporting clandestine illegal operations. Aramco says that the data was hosted by one of its third-party contractors and that this incident was not a result of a [cyberattack](https://www.upguard.com/blog/cyber-attack) or a data breach. It’s, therefore, speculated that overlooked data leakage was to blame #### What’s the difference between a data breach and a data leak? A data breach is the result of a planned cyber attack targeting [sensitive data](https://www.upguard.com/blog/sensitive-data), a [data leak](https://www.upguard.com/blog/data-leak) is the accidental exposure of sensitive data. When cybercriminals discover a data leak, it could arm them for a devastating data breach, or in this case, a momentous cyber-extorsion campaign. At this point, it’s understood that unidentified cybercriminals discovered one of Aramco’s vendors leaking data, seized it, and then offered Aramco the chance to have it deleted in exchange for a ransom payment of $50 million in cryptocurrency. It’s not yet known how Aramco plans to respond. Data leakage is, unfortunately, a prevalent vulnerability. A recent study by UpGuard found that 36% of surveyed companies unknowingly suffered a data leak in the last year, and that data leaks increased by 25% in the ASX 200 since 2019. [*Access the study here*](https://www.upguard.com/resources/asx-200-security-report)*.* Third-party breaches account for almost 60% of data breaches. By shifting the focus to shutting down events that could develop into breaches - [vendor data leaks](https://www.upguard.com/product/breach-risk/threat-monitoring) - the provocative trend of third-party breaches could be severed by more than half. This novel approach to data breach prevention could, one day, save you $50 million. ## How secure is Aramco? Aramco is a state-owned petroleum and natural gas company that explores, produces, refines, and distributes hydrocarbon products. The company operates oil fields, refineries, and petrochemical facilities, supplying crude oil and energy products to global markets. * View our free preliminary report on Aramco’s security posture * 13 risk factors, including email security, SSL, DNS health, open ports and common vulnerabilities [View Aramco's score](/security-report/aramco) [View score](/security-report/aramco) [https://www.aramco.com/](/security-report/aramco) ### Sign up for our newsletter UpGuard's monthly newsletter cuts through the noise and brings you what matters most: our breaking research, in-depth analysis of emerging threats, and actionable strategic insights. ## Latest news Stay up-to-date with the latest news in cybersecurity. [](/news/hugging-face-data-breach-2026-07-20) #### [Hugging Face data breach: key facts and what we know so far](/news/hugging-face-data-breach-2026-07-20) A data breach involving Hugging Face was reported in July 2026. 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See incident details, impact on customers, and recommended security measures. ##### [](#) July 14, 2026 [](/news/npcil-data-breach-2026-07-16) #### [NPCIL data breach: World Leaks claims exposure of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant files](/news/npcil-data-breach-2026-07-16) A data breach involving NPCIL was reported in July 2026. See incident details, impact on customers, and recommended security measures. ##### [UpGuard Team](/team/upguard) July 14, 2026 [View all news](/news) ## Protect your organization Get in touch or book a free demo. [Contact sales](/demo) [Free demo](/demo) ##### Free instant security score ## How secure is your organization? Request a free cybersecurity report to discover key risks on your website, email, network, and brand. * Instant insights you can act on immediately * Hundreds of risk factors including email security, SSL, DNS health, open ports and common vulnerabilities [Free score](/instant-security-score)