We tend to think of piracy in two ways: the Caribbean during the 18th-century "Golden Age of Piracy" and jailbroken Firesticks, but there is at least one other that has found a way into Oklahoma in 2025.

Pirates may have seized Braum's... Again.

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I was out to lunch with a friend and a coworker last week when the typical random discussion meandered into the weekly recap for each of us. Nothing really changes, it's almost always the same old stuff, but our coworker mentioned that she tried to have Braum's for dinner last Wednesday, but it wasn't in the cards.

When they walked up to the front doors of the new Braum's in town, there was a sign stating they were only accepting cash at the time. Since they really wanted a burger and crinkle fries, they opted to travel to a different location.

Same thing... A sign on the door stating "Only Cash."

Shenanigans.

We didn't think anything of it at the time hearing this, but as I rolled through the weekend, Facebook and my Oklahoma gun forum are hotbeds for discussion on the matter. Apparently it's not just our local Braum's experiencing this, it's the whole company.

All locations in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas.

Then, because our phones are constantly listening to us and keeping tabs on things we read on the internet, an article popped into my feed about it, explaining in depth why this is.

Piracy is afoot.

According to sources, Braum's secure network has been seized and ransomed by a hacking group named Hunters International, and they're pretty good at extorting money from, well, everyone.

It's the second iteration of the notorious HIVE hacking group that world governments supposedly shut down a few years ago, but just like companies do, they've apparently rebranded.

I know, you're asking yourself "Why Braum's though?"

Here's the funny thing. Hunters International is all about the Benjamins to the tune of some $130-ish million dollars in ransom monies. If an entity has money, they're trying to take it. Fortune 500 companies, power and energy companies, schools, hospitals, a zoo one time, and now Braum's... again.

It's not the first time for the best ice cream and dairy store in America.

Last July Braum's was hacked and pillaged for 1.5 terabytes of data. Everything from financial and employee information to Braum's secret recipes and more.

There's no information about how much the first ransom from HI was, but Braum's apparently found a workaround like so many companies do... until now.

Unable to securely accept digital and credit/debit-type payments, cash is king for the time being.

How long will the siege last?

Update: It appears Braum's has regained control of their network, if that's what this was. Cashless payment options are being accepted again.

As this might be twice Braum's has been compromised in just over six months, you can bet the company will likely bulletproof their network when this is all finished. Well, they should in any case. Only time will tell.

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