Nokia accused of paying millions to ransom hackers
Mobile phone maker Nokia, recently bought by Microsoft, has been accused of paying millions of euros in ransom money to hackers after they threatened to publish parts of the source code for its mobile operating system.
The claims were first made by Finnish broadcaster MTV and backed up by a spokesman for local police, who confirmed that an investigation involving Nokia and suspected blackmailers was ongoing.
MTV report that the hackers were able to obtain encryption codes for Nokia’s Symbian software, information which could expose smartphones utilising the software to malicious software should it be made public.
They further claim that ransom money was handed over in a car park with police in attendance – but that they subsequently ‘lost track’ of the criminals.
Microsoft’s Windows Phone software is now run on the majority of Nokia devices.