Ailing US department store retailer Kmart has reportedly had its human resources site shut down by a ransomware attack.
The chain was attacked by the Egregor ransomware operation earlier this week which resulted in a number of its servers on its network becoming encrypted.
A ransom note has now been shared with Bleeping Computer that shows that an HR website used by the store, 88sears.com, has also been brought offline by hackers. Kmart’s e-commerce site remains unaffected.
This HR site is operated by Kmart parent company Transformco. At the time of writing, the website displays a runtime error page with a warning that it was not secure.
Egregor has only been in existence since September this year, but it has already attacked several other well-known companies including bookseller Barnes and Noble. The ransomware is known to steal data from organisations, shutting down networks, and demanding payment in exchange for not releasing sensitive data, or removing encryption.
At present, it is not known if hackers have stolen data, what systems are encrypted, or how much money has been demanded.
Trevor Morgan, product manager at security services firm comforte AG, told us that one of the biggest fears associated with an Egregor ransomware attack is the likelihood of unprotected files being stolen prior to the encrypting of devices.
“This sensitive data is then used as leverage to extract a ransom from the target (in this case, the retailer Kmart). Otherwise, the operation leaks the stolen data online," said Morgan. "While the report does not conclusively indicate whether threat actors gained access to Kmart’s most sensitive data, it serves as yet another reminder for all businesses to apply the strongest level of data-centric security to their datasets,” he said.
Kmart once was one of the largest department store chains in the US, operating across 2,200 sites at its peak. Following a series of bankruptcies and decline, the chain now owns just 43 stores across the entirety of the US.
-
Palo Alto Networks snaps up CyberArk in identity security pushNews The acquisition marks the latest in a string for Palo Alto Networks
-
Stack Overflow CEO Prashanth Chandrasekar on embracing AIQ&A The chief executive at the well-known developer resource Stack Overflow talks future strategy and how AI has forced the company to shift its focus
-
The Scattered Spider ransomware group is infiltrating Slack and Microsoft Teams to target vulnerable employeesNews The group is using new ransomware variants and new social engineering techniques - including sneaking into corporate teleconferences
-
Hackers breached a 158 year old company by guessing an employee password – experts say it’s a ‘pertinent reminder’ of the devastating impact of cyber crimeNews A Panorama documentary exposed hackers' techniques and talked to the teams trying to tackle them
-
The ransomware boom shows no signs of letting up – and these groups are causing the most chaosNews Thousands of ransomware cases have already been posted on the dark web this year
-
Everything we know about the Ingram Micro cyber attack so farNews A cyber attack on Ingram Micro severely disrupted operations and has been claimed by the SafePay ransomware group.
-
A prolific ransomware group says it’s shutting down and giving out free decryption keys to victims – but cyber experts warn it's not exactly a 'gesture of goodwill'
News The Hunters International ransomware group is rebranding and switching tactics
-
Swiss government data published following supply chain attack – here’s what we know about the culpritsNews Radix, a non-profit organization in the health promotion sector, supplies a number of federal offices, whose data has apparently been accessed.
-
Ransomware victims are getting better at haggling with hackersNews While nearly half of companies paid a ransom to get their data back last year, victims are taking an increasingly hard line with hackers to strike fair deals.
-
LockBit data dump reveals a treasure trove of intel on the notorious hacker groupNews An analysis of May's SQL database dump shows how much LockBit was really making
