Mike Lindell’s ‘MyPillow’ is latest target of ransomware attack
A ransomware gang claims to have hacked MyPillow, the company founded by 2020 election conspiracy theorist and Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Mike Lindell.
In a post to its blog on the dark web on Monday, the ransomware gang known as “Play” said it was able to steal a wide range of private information from the Minnesota-based company: “private and personal confidential data, clients’ documents, budget, payroll, IDs, taxes, finance information and etc.,” the hackers wrote.
Few other details are known about the breach.
Play has given MyPillow until Friday to respond or risk having its data published online. The hackers did not respond to a request for comment from Straight Arrow.
A high-profile target
MyPillow, which Lindell oversees as CEO, sells not only pillows but other household goods, including sheets, mattresses and bath robes. The company also offers supplements, coffee and energy bars, among other items.
MyPillow is a high-profile target for the hackers, given Lindell’s role in promoting false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from President Donald Trump.
A jury in Colorado last year found that Lindell had defamed an executive with Dominion Voting Systems, which manufactures electronic voting machines used in numerous states. A judge in Minnesota ruled he defamed another election technology company, Smartmatic, by making 51 false claims that its machines helped rig the 2020 election.
During a recent interview on his website, Lindell TV, Lindell said that MyPillow suffered $400 million in losses due to political attacks over the past several years. Lindell said he will apply for compensation from Trump’s $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” created as part of Trump’s settlement of a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. Critics said the settlement gave Trump a slush fund for paying Jan. 6 rioters and others who have promoted election conspiracy theories.
“We had three third parties look and do an evaluation of MyPillow, what it was prior to all these attacks and what it is now,” Lindell said. “And all of them averaged $400 million that it cost the brand and cost MyPillow. And it’s just horrific that our own government could do this to the American dream.”
Following the Jan. 6 riot, several major businesses, including Walmart, Kohl’s, J.C. Penney, Wayfair and Bed Bath & Beyond, pulled Lindell’s products from their shelves. Lindell has said the move was political, while some brands have claimed his products have become increasingly unpopular.
Neither MyPillow nor Lindell’s campaign responded to a request for comment from Straight Arrow.
Minnesota governor’s race
Lindell is among 10 candidates vying for the Republican nomination for Minnesota governor. The winner of the August primary will likely face the Democratic frontrunner, Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Incumbent Democratic Gov. Tim Walz dropped his bid for a third term.
Recent polling, betting odds and election forecasts, according to Newsweek, suggest Lindell’s odds of winning the Republican nomination are slim.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
