Ransomware Gang Threatens to Feed Artists’ Work to AI

The ransomware group LunaLock has allegedly hacked the website Artists&Clients, a platform that connects artists with clients, and encrypted all of its data. The hackers have requested a $50,000 ransom and threatened to use the stolen content to train Large Language Models (LLMs) if the organization refuses to pay.

According to 404 media, on August 30, a warning about the hack appeared on the website. The site was taken down a few days later, on Tuesday.

“This website was breached by LunaLock. All of its data, including user account email addresses and passwords, has been stolen and encrypted, rendering the website inaccessible,” stated one of the messages, according to screenshots taken by users and shared on Reddit.

The hackers urged the website administrator to contact them and pay the ransom. They promised to delete all data after they received the money in Bitcoin or Monero.

“If this ransom is not paid, we will release all data publicly,” threatened the malicious actors. “Additionally, we will submit all artwork to AI companies to be added to training datasets.”

While ransom notes like this are common — and align with LunaLock’s usual strategy — what makes this attack stand out is the threat to feed stolen content into AI models.

“This is the first time I see a threat actor use training AI models as part of their extortion tactic,” said Tammy Harper, a threat intelligence researcher at the cybersecurity company Flare, in an interview with 404 Media.

Harper noted that the tactic could be effective against artists, as many creatives are actively protecting their content from unauthorized use by AI systems.

Many users expressed their concerns on Reddit and complained about Artists&Clients for not sharing an official statement yet. Several reported receiving a suspicious email from the hackers from the platform’s email account.

“I got the email and honestly I had forgotten about the website (never got any commissions from there),” wrote one user. “Not worried about my data because I have 2FA in everything important, but the AI thing makes me sad :(“

Other ransomware gangs have also attacked recently. A few weeks ago, hackers from World Leaks claimed to have breached Dell and leaked 1.3TB of data, and the notorious group BlackCat announced they had stolen 70 terabytes of data from the Barts Health NHS Trust.