Chaos ransomware group leaked 69 GB stolen from Optima Tax Relief
- Organization
- Optima Tax Relief
- Exploit
- Ransomware
- Industry
- Financial Services
Optima Tax Relief, a United States firm that negotiates with the Internal Revenue Service on behalf of individuals and businesses, was added to the Chaos ransomware group's dark web leak site on June 6, 2025. The attackers said they had stolen 69 GB of data and encrypted the company's servers, a double extortion pattern in which publication of the files is used as leverage when a ransom goes unpaid.
The published archive appeared to contain corporate records and customer case files. Because tax resolution work requires clients to hand over returns, correspondence and financial statements, reporting noted the exposed material was likely to include Social Security numbers, home addresses and telephone numbers. Neither BleepingComputer nor Fox News reported a figure for the number of individuals affected, and no confirmed inventory of the exposed data was published.
Chaos is a comparatively new operation that surfaced in March 2025 with five listed victims. Fox News described this version as run by a coordinated team strategically targeting organizations with access to large amounts of personally identifiable information. The group also claimed a breach of the Salvation Army.
Optima Tax Relief did not respond to requests for comment from BleepingComputer or Fox News and had issued no public statement as of late June 2025. It remained unclear whether the company intended to notify affected clients or how it was responding to the extortion attempt.