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Explosive Ransomware Attack: 65,000 Government Documents Compromised and Leaked

Switzerland Play ransomware has leaked 65,000 government documents from the Swiss Public Ministry, exposing sensitive information. The attack highlights the need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect against increasingly sophisticated ransomware threats. Protect your organization with advanced security solutions and stay ahead of cybercriminals.

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A swiss flag flying in front of a snowy mountain, now compromised.

Imagine waking up one morning to find that thousands of sensitive government files have been stolen and leaked online by cybercriminals. That’s exactly what happened in Switzerland recently, when the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) released a report detailing the impact of a ransomware attack on Xplain, a Swiss technology and software solutions provider.

What happened to Xplain?

Xplain works with various government departments, administrative units, and even the country’s military force. Unfortunately, on May 23, 2023, the Play ransomware gang breached the company. The attackers claimed to have stolen documents containing confidential information, and in early June 2023, they published the stolen data on their darknet portal.

The Swiss government began investigating the leaked files, admitting that they might contain documents belonging to the Federal Administration of Switzerland. Their new statement confirms that 65,000 government documents were leaked in the breach:

  • 5% (65,000 documents) of the approximately 1.3 million files published by the Play ransomware gang are relevant to the Federal Administration.
  • 95% of those files impact the administrative units of the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP): the Federal Office of Justice, the Federal Office of Police, the State Secretariat for Migration, and the internal IT service center ISC-FDJP.
  • The Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) were minorly affected, accounting for just over 3% of the data.
  • About 5,000 documents contained sensitive information, including personal data (names, email addresses, telephone numbers, and addresses), technical details, classified information, and account passwords.
  • A few hundred files contained IT system documentation, software or architectural data, and passwords.

Why is the investigation taking so long?

The Swiss government launched an administrative investigation on August 23, 2023, which is set to be completed by the end of this month. The full results and cybersecurity recommendations will then be shared with the Federal Council. So, why has the investigation taken so long?

There are several reasons. First, analyzing unstructured data and the large volume of leaked data requires significant time and resources to triage documents relevant to the Federal Administration. Second, legally examining the leaked data for evidence is complicated, as confidential information requires inter-agency coordination and participation, inevitably prolonging the process.

Don’t let this happen to you

It’s a scary thought that even government entities can fall victim to cyberattacks. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of cybersecurity in today’s digital age. If you want to ensure your organization’s safety, you need to be proactive in protecting your sensitive data and IT systems.

At IT Services, we’re here to help you navigate the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity. We’ll work with you to develop a comprehensive plan to safeguard your valuable information from cyberthreats. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Contact us today and ensure your organization’s safety. And remember, keep coming back to learn more about cybersecurity and how to stay protected.

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Malware

Schneider Electric Confirms Dev Platform Breach: Hacker Seizes Sensitive Data in Bold Cyberattack

Schneider Electric has confirmed that its developer platform suffered a data breach, resulting in unauthorized access to product security vulnerability details. The breach was discovered on 10 August, after a hacker claimed to have stolen the data. Schneider Electric is working with security researchers to identify the individual responsible and the extent of the breach.

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A green sign featuring the Schneider Electric logo and "Life Is On" slogan stands prominently against a blurred green background, subtly reminding viewers of their resilience even amidst challenges like a cyberattack.

Imagine waking up one morning to find out that your entire database has been hacked, and critical information is now held hostage by a group of cybercriminals. That’s precisely what happened to Schneider Electric, a French multinational corporation known for its energy and automation products.

Unauthorized access to Schneider Electric’s data

A threat actor, who goes by the name “Grep,” recently taunted Schneider Electric on X, indicating they had breached the company’s systems. They claimed to have accessed Schneider Electric’s JIRA server using exposed credentials and scraped 400k rows of user data, including 75,000 unique email addresses and full names of the company’s employees and customers.

Schneider Electric confirmed the breach, stating that they were investigating a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to one of their internal project execution tracking platforms. The company assured that its products and services remain unaffected by the breach.

A new hacking group emerges

Grep revealed to us that they had recently formed a new hacking group called the International Contract Agency (ICA), named after the game Hitman: Codename 47. Initially, the group didn’t extort companies they breached. However, upon discovering that the “ICA” name was associated with a group of Islamic terrorists, the threat actors rebranded themselves as the Hellcat ransomware gang and began developing an encryptor for future extortion attacks.

Extortion demands and a history of breaches

Grep is now extorting Schneider Electric, demanding $125,000 not to leak the stolen data and half of that amount if the company releases an official statement. This isn’t the first time Schneider Electric has faced a cybersecurity breach. Earlier this year, its “Sustainability Business” division fell victim to a Cactus ransomware attack, where the threat actors claimed to have stolen terabytes of data.

Don’t let this happen to you

As technology advances, so do the methods and tactics employed by cybercriminals. It’s essential to take cybersecurity seriously and invest in the right tools and strategies to protect your valuable data. Don’t wait until you become the next Schneider Electric. Instead, take action now to secure your digital assets and prevent a potential breach.

Keep coming back to learn more about the latest cybersecurity trends, tips, and best practices. We’re here to help you stay informed and protect your business from the ever-evolving world of cyber threats.

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Malware

Cisco Ensures DevHub Site Leak Won’t Empower Future Breaches

Cisco has assured customers that a recent data leak from its DevHub site will not enable future cyber breaches. The leak exposed sensitive information, including users’ API keys, but Cisco has taken the necessary steps to mitigate the potential risks and protect its users’ security.

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The Cisco logo gleams against a vibrant backdrop, with diagonal pink and blue streaks and small white dots, evoking a sense of innovative flair, reminiscent of the dynamic energy at DevHub.

Recently, a threat actor managed to download non-public files from a misconfigured public-facing DevHub portal. Although this sounds alarming, we want to reassure you that the exposed documents do not contain information that could be exploited in future breaches of our systems.

What exactly was exposed?

Upon analyzing the exposed documents, we found that their contents include data that we publish for customers and other DevHub users. However, files that shouldn’t have been made public were also available, some belonging to CX Professional Services customers.

“So far, in our research, we’ve determined that a limited set of CX Professional Services customers had files included and we notified them directly,” we said.

Our teams have worked diligently to assess the content of those files. We want to emphasize that we have not identified any information in the content that an actor could have used to access any of our production or enterprise environments.

What actions have we taken?

We have since corrected the configuration and restored public access to the DevHub site. Additionally, we’ve confirmed that web search engines did not index the exposed documents.

This update comes after we confirmed last month that we took our public DevHub site offline (a resource center for customers where we publish software code, templates, and scripts) after a threat actor leaked what we described at the time as “non-public” data.

It’s important to note that we found no evidence that any financial data or personal information had been exposed or stolen from the public DevHub portal before it was taken offline.

What about the alleged access to a developer environment?

The threat actor behind the leak, IntelBroker, claimed that they also gained access to a Cisco JFrog developer environment through an exposed API token. While we maintain that our systems haven’t been breached, information shared by the threat actor indicates that they also breached a third-party development environment, allowing them to steal data.

We’ve been contacted with further questions about IntelBroker’s claims, but we have not replied as of yet.

What’s the takeaway from all of this?

While the exposure of non-public files is a concern, we want to reiterate that the information contained within those files does not put our systems at risk for future breaches. We have taken the necessary steps to correct the configuration issues and restore access to our DevHub site, ensuring that such an incident doesn’t occur again.

As always, your security is our top priority. We encourage you to reach out to us with any questions or concerns, and keep coming back to learn more about how we’re working to protect your data and keep you safe.

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Malware

Interbank Admits to Data Breach After Unsuccessful Extortion Attempt and Massive Information Leak

Peruvian Interbank confirms a data breach after refusing to pay extortion demands. The hackers leaked customer information, but the bank assures no financial data was compromised. Interbank warns clients of potential phishing attacks and urges them to be cautious when providing personal information.

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A modern, glass-walled building with the Interbank logo at the top stands resilient against a blue sky background, despite recent buzz around a potential data breach.

Imagine waking up one day to find your personal and financial information plastered all over the internet. It’s a nightmare scenario, isn’t it? Well, that’s precisely what happened to a group of customers at Interbank, one of Peru’s leading financial institutions, which serves over 2 million people.

Interbank confirms data breach

Interbank recently confirmed that a data breach occurred, with a hacker gaining unauthorized access to its systems and leaking stolen data online. The bank immediately deployed additional security measures to protect its clients’ operations and information. While their online platforms and mobile app experienced temporary outages, Interbank has assured customers that their deposits are safe and that most of their operations are back online.

Stolen data for sale on hacking forums

As if the breach wasn’t bad enough, a threat actor with the handle “kzoldyck” has been spotted by Dark Web Informer selling the stolen data on several hacking forums. The data in question includes customers’ full names, account IDs, birth dates, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, IP addresses, and sensitive financial information like credit card numbers, CVV codes, and even plaintext credentials.

The hacker claims to have information on more than 3 million customers, with a total data cache of over 3.7 terabytes. They also mention possessing internal API credentials, LDAP, and Azure credentials. It’s worth noting that the hacker reportedly attempted to extort Interbank’s management two weeks prior, but the bank refused to pay.

So, what can you learn from this?

As a U.S. reader, you might be thinking, “That’s terrible, but it’s in Peru, so it doesn’t affect me.” Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Cybersecurity threats know no borders, and hackers are constantly seeking out new targets. In fact, data breaches have become increasingly common in recent years, with a 2021 report from the Identity Theft Resource Center showing a 17% increase in publicly reported data breaches in the U.S. compared to 2020.

This case serves as a stark reminder that no one is immune to the dangers of cyber threats. It’s essential to stay vigilant and educate yourself on how to protect your personal and financial information. Consider working with IT Services who can provide you with guidance and resources to stay one step ahead of the hackers.

Don’t let this happen to you

Be proactive in safeguarding your data and take the necessary steps now to protect your information. Reach out to us at IT Services to learn more about how we can help you and your business stay safe in this digital age. Remember, the best defense is a good offense, so don’t wait for a data breach to happen before taking action.

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