On November 10-11, Kisters AG in Germany was hit by a ransomware attack. Because the firm is a critical infrastructure supplier for energy systems and with the potential for downstream compromise, this one has raised significant concerns. The following are some translated snippets from energie.blog, which has been providing updates on the attack: Update: 11/21/2021:…
Author: Dissent
Double Extortion Ransomware Victims Soar 935%
Phil Muncaster reports: Researchers have recorded a 935% year-on-year increase in double extortion attacks, with data from over 2300 companies posted onto ransomware extortion sites. Group-IB’s Hi-Tech Crime Trends 2021/2022 report covers the period from the second half of 2020 to the first half of 2021. During that time, an “unholy alliance” of initial access brokers and…
UK: Private medical files dumped in cabinet outside GP surgery
Josh Layton reports: Hundreds of patients’ confidential details were found dumped in an unlocked filing cabinet left outside an unused doctors’ surgery. The sensitive personal files were reference cards that included individuals’ names, dates of birth, addresses and NHS numbers. They were left for days in a doorway among piles of leaves outside the former…
Former Ubiquiti employee charged with hacking and extorting company
Catalin Cimpanu reports: An Oregon man and a former employee of Ubiquiti Networks was arrested and charged today with hacking the company’s servers, stealing gigabytes of information, and then attempting to extort his employer for $2 million when Ubiquiti began investigating the breach. The suspect, arraigned in a courtroom earlier today, was identified as Nickolas Sharp,…
Planned Parenthood’s Los Angeles clinics hit by ransomware; patient data stolen
Reuters reports: Planned Parenthood’s Los Angeles clinics suffered a ransomware attack in October and personal information of 400,000 patients was stolen, a spokesperson for the women’s reproductive healthcare organization said on Wednesday. Spokesperson John Erickson said an “unauthorized person” gained access to the Los Angeles affiliate’s network between Oct. 9 and 17 and installed ransomware…
Waikato DHB cyberattack: Cancer hub out of action in chaotic aftermath
Natalie Akoori reports that the May ransomware attack by Vice Society threat actors on Waikato District Health Board impacted one of the country’s four regional cancer hubs. According to a contingency planning document put together in the aftermath of the attack and released by the DHB under the Official Information Act, at least 30 cancer…