TZUTC: -0500
MSGID: 1922.consprcy@1:2320/105 2dc2694c
PID: Synchronet 3.21a-Linux master/123f2d28a Jul 12 2025 GCC 12.2.0
TID: SBBSecho 3.28-Linux master/123f2d28a Jul 12 2025 GCC 12.2.0
BBSID: CAPCITY2
CHRS: ASCII 1
FORMAT: flowed
Hackers claim breach of engineering firm, offer sale of info on three major 
US utilities

Date:
Mon, 05 Jan 2026 20:10:00 +0000

Description:
Investigations are underway but the data seems to be quite valuable.

FULL STORY

Pickett and Associates, a Florida-based civil engineering, surveying, and
geospatial services firm, has allegedly been hacked and had sensitive client
data stolen. 

Earlier this week, cybercriminals posted a new thread on a dark web forum
claiming to have stolen more than 800 files from the company. The data, they
say, is real, operational engineering data from active projects of major
utilities and is suitable for infrastructure analysis and risk assessment. 

Pickett and Associates clients are mostly investor-owned utilities,
municipalities, electric cooperatives and mining operations across the United
States and the Caribbean, which hire the firm for transmission and
distribution design, project management, surveying, aerial mapping, and LiDAR
services.

Selling the database for bitcoin 

While the entire roster of clients is unknown, the miscreants claim to have
taken files from - as The Register puts it - some very large American
utilities: Tampa Electric Company, Duke Energy Florida, and American Electric
Power. 

The files allegedly include more than 800 classified raw LiDAR point cloud
files in .las format, full coverage of transmission line corridors and
substations (including layers for bare earth, vegetation, conductors, and
structures), high-resolution orthophotos in .ecw format, MicroStation design
files and PTC settings, large vegetation feature files in .xyz format, and
other data. 

The attackers are now selling the stolen files for 6.5 bitcoin, or
approximately $600,000. 

Pickett USA decided not to comment on the hackers claims, but Duke Energy 
told The Register it is currently looking into it. 

"With threats evolving every day, Duke Energy's highly skilled cyber security
team works diligently to protect our businesses, systems and information
technology assets and responds quickly if a cyber incident occurs," the
company told the publication. "We are taking the necessary actions to
investigate this claim." 

The same source also claims that this cybercriminal seems to be focusing on
energy and other critical infrastructure organizations, since its selling an
internal database belonging to Germany's Enerparc AG. 

 Via The Register 

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/hackers-claim-breach-of-engineering-fir
m-offer-sale-of-info-on-three-major-us-utilities

$$
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
 * Origin: Capitol City Online (1:2320/105)
SEEN-BY: 105/81 106/201 128/187 129/14 305 153/7715 154/110 218/700
SEEN-BY: 226/30 227/114 229/110 134 206 275 300 307 317 400 426 428
SEEN-BY: 229/470 664 700 705 266/512 291/111 320/219 322/757 342/200
SEEN-BY: 396/45 460/58 633/280 712/848 902/26 2320/0 105 304 3634/12
SEEN-BY: 5075/35
PATH: 2320/105 229/426