pcmag.com
Michael Kan
Senior Reporter

UPDATE 1/24: The hacking group World Leaks claims to have stolen 1.4TB of data from Nike, according to a post on the gang's website.

The stolen data covers 188,000 files. But a cursory look suggests that World Leaks looted internal files about Nike's clothing manufacturing business, rather than any customer or employee information. For example, a few of the folders have been titled "Garment making process," "Nike Apparel tools" and "Women's Lifestyle." Another set of folders have been titled with the Chinese language.

The data
(World Leaks)
We've reached out to Nike for comment and we'll update the story if we hear back.

Original story:
Nike is investigating a possible data breach after a hacking group listed the fashion brand as one of its latest victims.

On Thursday, cybersecurity researchers spotted World Leaks posting on the dark web about breaching Nike. It's unclear what they stole; for now, the group’s post shows only a countdown clock, indicating that World Leaks plans to reveal more on Saturday morning.

In response, Nike told PCMag: “We always take consumer privacy and data security very seriously. We are investigating a potential cybersecurity incident and are actively assessing the situation.”

According to cybersecurity firms, World Leaks operates as an extortion group that loots data from companies to force them to pay up, or else it’ll leak the stolen information. The group previously operated as “Hunters International,” and focused on delivering ransomware to encrypt victim computers. But last year, following increased scrutiny from law enforcement, the gang rebranded as World Leaks and pivoted to extortion-only tactics.

“They typically gain initial access through phishing campaigns, compromised credentials, or exploitation of exposed services,” according to cybersecurity vendor Blackpoint Cyber. “Once inside, they perform data discovery and exfiltration, prioritizing confidential corporate or personal information.”

WorldLeaks sites
(Credit: World Leaks)
Still, it’s possible that World Leaks stole inconsequential data from Nike. The group has already listed 114 other victims; it claims to have stolen 1.3TB of data from Dell. But the PC maker says World Leaks merely infiltrated a platform the company uses to demo products to prospective clients. As a result, the hackers were only able to access and steal an outdated contact list.