Ransomware gang threatens Reddit with blackmail over recent changes, demands hit $4.5 million

The tumultuous debacle between Redditors and Reddit just got a whole lot more interesting as a ransomware group has claimed they have 80GB of confidential company files it's prepared to release if demands aren't reached.

Reddit has certainly kicked up a storm after the company announced changes to its Application Programming Interface (API), and these changes would essentially make it impossible for third-party developers to continually support third-party apps and tools used by millions of Redditors. Many of these apps improved the general Reddit experience, and many third-party tools were used by volunteer moderators to speed up their moderation process.

Apollo, the most popular third-party Reddit app, said it would no longer be able to keep running as it would be unable to pay the $20 million a year that Reddit's new pricing now states is a requirement. In response to these changes, thousands of subreddits decided to go offline in an almost platform-wide blackout. This digital protest prompted a response from Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, who said in a recent interview that the API changes are here to stay and that subreddits going dark will eventually pass.

• Read more: Reddit CEO gives update on API changes while showing he really doesn't care about your feedback

Now a new player has entered the scene. Ransomware gang BlackCat has claimed credit for a phishing attack Reddit fell victim to in February. According to BlackCat, the ransomware gang has approximately 80GB of company data that it plans on releasing if its demands aren't met. Notably, Reddit admitted to the breach but said at the time that no critical data was stolen.

• Read more: Reddit's CEO isn't worried about the 8,000+ subreddits going offline, 'this one will pass'

BlackCat has demanded that Reddit must pay the group $4.5 million and roll back all of the recent API changes.

• Read more: Reddit goes dark over API price changes that'll kill third-party apps and NSFW content