The hacking gang behind the Nvidia breach is likely expecting that cryptocurrency miners will pay, even though it is a hazardous proposition that does not make financial sense.
Buying stolen data from hackers is never a good (or ethical) idea. One possibility is that the data is bogus or infected with malware. It’s still possible that the Nvidia data thieves would try to recoup some of their losses by selling the stolen information. To unlock the Ethereum mining limit on Nvidia’s RTX 3000 graphics cards, the organization offered a software tool for $1 million.
A group of hackers known as LAPSUS$ claims to have developed a technique that can get around the RTX 3000 GPU’s Lite Hash Rate restriction without having to “flash” or update the GPU’s firmware. Earlier this week, the gang dangled the Ethereum mining bypass in a public chat room and claimed, “Without flashing = big money for any miner developer.”
Bitcoin miners can increase their Ethereum mining rate from 50 percent to 100 percent by using the bypass on an RTX 3000 device. In an effort to keep miners from purchasing RTX 3000 GPUs, Nvidia installed the limitation on most of the last year.
It’s dubious, however, that anyone will pony up the $1 million to buy it. Many members of the mining community have already devised workarounds to increase the mining limit on impacted Nvidia GPUs from 50% to 70%. Ethereum, on the other hand, plans to phase out GPU mining by the end of the year. A user would be better off mining under the current conditions than handing over $1 million in exchange for further gains that may or may not be realized.
LAPSUS$ hasn’t demonstrated the Ethereum mining bypass, therefore it’s not obvious if the software program is even functional at all. It’s still possible that the group is prepared to lower the $1 million fees.
After releasing a 19GB collection of Nvidia data, LAPSUS$ now threatens to reveal even more secret information. If Nvidia does not open-source its GPU drivers, the hacker group will disclose another 250GB folder containing info on the company’s hardware.
Apparently, LAPSUS$ claims that the 250GB folder also supposedly has more information on how tech-savvy individuals can avoid the Ethereum mining limit on Nvidia GPUs provided they know enough computer coding.
A request for comment was not immediately returned by Nvidia. LAPSUS$ has been leaking information on the internet since Monday night, according to the business. There would be no impact on the company’s operations or customer service as a result of the incident, it said.
LAPSUS$ also told PCMag on Monday that it had not yet received a response from Nvidia. The hacker organization has asked for an undisclosed ransom in bitcoin from the company in order to keep the stolen data private.
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