Grafana Labs has become the latest high-profile tech company to confront digital extortionists. The popular open source software maker confirmed hackers stole its codebase and demanded payment to suppress it — but the company is refusing.
According to TechCrunch, the attackers exploited a stolen token credential to access Grafana's GitLab environment. The breach did not compromise customer records or financial data — only the company's source code repositories. Grafana's code is open source, already public. The hackers demanded payment for something anyone can download.
"The attacker attempted to blackmail us, demanding payment to prevent the release of our codebase," Grafana said in a statement. The company invalidated the compromised token and strengthened security measures. It also revoked SSH keys and certificates.
Grafana's refusal contrasts with education tech firm Instructure, which agreed last week to pay hackers after they compromised its network twice. That breach threatened to expose sensitive data about staff and students.
Grafana's decision aligns with FBI guidance: do not negotiate with cybercriminals. Payment does not guarantee attackers will delete data or cease publication. Money paid funds the next round of attacks on other companies.
The investigation is ongoing. Grafana has said it will disclose findings when complete.
