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Google warns of high-volume extortion emails targeting executives over alleged Oracle data theft

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Google says a wave of extortion emails is hitting corporate executives across multiple companies. The senders claim—without verified proof—to have stolen sensitive data from targets’ Oracle E-Business Suite environments. Google characterizes the campaign as “high volume” but says it lacks sufficient evidence to confirm the hackers’ claims.

The emails purport to come from actors affiliated with the Cl0p ransomware ecosystem. Attribution remains uncertain: some researchers see early indicators of a Cl0p link, while others note extensive overlap and copycat behavior among ransomware groups. Cl0p, in a message to Reuters, declined to provide details.

Oracle did not immediately comment. Meanwhile, Halcyon’s Ransomware Research Center reports observed demands ranging from several million dollars to as high as $50 million.

The campaign underscores a broader trend: threat actors leveraging claims of enterprise application compromise to pressure executives directly—banking on reputational risk and fear of operational disruption even when technical evidence is thin.

Oracle Confirms Extortion Campaign Targeting Its E-Business Suite Customers

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has confirmed that some users of its E-Business Suite software have received extortion emails from hackers, validating a warning first issued by Google earlier this week. In a Thursday blog post, the California-based tech giant said its internal investigation revealed potential exploitation of previously known software vulnerabilities and urged customers to upgrade their systems immediately.

The company did not specify how many clients were impacted, but Google described the campaign as “high volume”, suggesting a broad wave of attacks against enterprise users.

Cybersecurity experts have linked the operation to the ransomware group Cl0p, a notorious Russia-linked or Russian-speaking collective that operates under a ransomware-as-a-service model—leasing its malware tools to other cybercriminals for a share of the profits. In a message to Reuters, the group said “Oracle bugged up,” but declined to provide further details.

According to Halcyon’s Ransomware Research Center chief Cynthia Kaiser, recent extortion demands connected to the campaign range from millions to tens of millions of dollars, with the highest reaching $50 million.

Trend Micro, a Japanese cybersecurity firm, previously labeled Cl0p as a “trendsetter for its ever-changing tactics,” noting its rapid adaptation to new vulnerabilities and defenses.

The attacks come amid a surge in corporate cyber-extortion incidents, targeting firms with complex enterprise software systems that handle sensitive financial and operational data. Oracle’s swift public acknowledgment—unusual in such cases—signals the seriousness of the threat and the company’s attempt to reassure customers that patches and updates remain their best defense.

Britain’s Co-op Warns of $161 Million Profit Hit From Cyberattack

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The Co-op Group, one of the UK’s most recognizable retailers, said on Thursday that a “sophisticated” cyberattack in April will reduce its annual profit by about £120 million ($161 million).

The 181-year-old, member-owned cooperative—which operates supermarkets, funeral services, legal, and insurance businesses—said it moved quickly to shut down several systems to contain the breach. That decision, however, caused major operational disruption, including shortages in food availability at stores.

The financial toll was clear in its latest results: for the first half of the year to July 5, revenue dropped by £206 million, while profit fell by £80 million. The company reported an underlying pre-tax loss of £75 million, compared with a £3 million profit a year earlier.

Finance chief Rachel Izzard said the full-year impact will total £120 million, with only limited insurance recovery. “We had the front-end elements of cyber insurance in place … but we don’t believe we will be claiming on insurance for back-end losses,” she explained.

Roughly £40 million of the second-half hit reflects new investments to strengthen cyber defenses. The Co-op’s Chief Digital and Information Officer, Rob Elsey, said attackers gained access through social engineering, impersonating a colleague to compromise their account—similar to a recent attack on Marks & Spencer.

The group’s food retail business, which generates the bulk of its revenue, slipped 1.6% to £3.6 billion, as it lost market share to rivals. Overall revenue was down 2.1% to £5.5 billion.

The company expects the rest of the year to bring continued pressure from high costs, global volatility, and intense competition, but still plans to open 30 new stores.