Ransomware gangs such as BlackMatter typically steal data from a company's network before encrypting it and then threatening to release the files online if the ransom used to decrypt them is not paid.

The attackers' goal is not to compromise systems or demand ransoms, but to collect valuable information that they can later use or sell to others. A spokesman for the UN Secretary-General said the organisation was "a frequent target of cyber attacks".

The stolen Puma data includes the source codes of internal management applications purportedly linked to the company's product management portal. That data could be used by attackers to mount a more sophisticated attack on the company.

T-Mobile continues to work around the clock to forensically analyze and investigate cyber attacks against T-Mobile systems, while also taking a number of proactive steps to protect customers and others whose information may have been compromised.

Las Vegas is pushing information to such a targeted online audience because for the first time in the nearly four decades of the Rewards for Justice program, informants have the option to receive payments in cryptocurrency and send sensitive information to the U.S. government through a secure portal on the dark web.

The acquisition comes amid a massive increase in criminal activity on the dark web, which the companies claim will help better protect global businesses on a broader scale.

The stolen data included usernames, plain text passwords, IP addresses and billing information. The attack also included the public and private keys of LimeVPN users, the researchers added.

Researchers are discovering an uptick in activity on dark web forums that includes buying and selling black hat hacking services. 90% of the activity on these forums is from people looking to hire hackers to infiltrate websites and steal databases.