Hacker demands $10M ransom from Virginia

RICHMOND, Va., May 8 (UPI) -- A hacker claims to have stolen patient information from a prescription drug Web site maintained by the state of Virginia and is demanding ransom.

In a message posted on the Prescription Monitoring Program site last week, the hacker demanded $10 million, The Virginian-Pilot reported. He or she claimed to have deleted files and created an encrypted backup version.

Officials say they have no proof the hacker is telling the truth. The message said the hacker had obtained 35 million prescription records and the database contains more than 30 million.

But one detail undermines the self-proclaimed hacker's credibility: a claim to have Social Security numbers and other sensitive information. The database, set up to help doctors and pharmacists track potential drug abusers with multiple prescriptions, does not contain that kind of information, the report said.