An energy company owned by the Queensland government has confirmed it was hit by a ransomware attack over the weekend.
CS Energy confirmed it has suffered a ransomware attack that took place on Saturday 27 November. The company said the incident occurred on its corporate network but has not impacted electricity generation at its Callide and Kogan Creek power stations, adding that it continues to generate and dispatch electricity.
CS Energy is focusing on restoring the security of its network and supporting employees, customers, and business partners with any questions they have. CEO Andrew Bills revealed that the company contained the ransomware attack by segregating the corporate network from other internal networks and enacting business continuity processes.
The energy company has also notified relevant state and federal agencies and is working closely with them as well as other cyber security experts. It has contacted its retail customers to reassure them there will be no impact on their electricity supply.
“Unfortunately, cyber events are a growing trend in Australia and overseas,” said Bills. “This incident may have affected our corporate network, but we are fortunate to have a resilient and highly skilled workforce who remain focused on ensuring CS Energy continues to deliver electricity to Queenslanders.”
IT Pro has contacted CS Energy to find out more information about the attack.
RELATED RESOURCE
How to reduce the risk of phishing and ransomware
Top security concerns and tips for mitigation
News of the attack comes after the Australian government published its Ransomware Action Plan in mid-October, which revealed it was looking to introduce legislative reforms to ensure cyber criminals are held to account for their actions. It would also apply harsher penalties to those who engage in ransomware or target the country’s critical infrastructure. The plan underlines the need to mandate ransomware incident reporting to the government and adds it does not condone ransom payments being made to hackers.
Cyber crime in Australia increased by nearly 13% in the past year as more Australians increased their dependence on the internet to work remotely, access services, and communicate, the Australia Cyber Security Centre said in a report from September. Around a quarter of cyber incidents reported were associated with the country’s critical infrastructure or essential services, and it recorded a 15% increase in ransomware reports.
-
How to implement a four-day week in techIn-depth More companies are switching to a four-day week as they look to balance employee well-being with productivity
-
Intelligence sharing: The boost for businessesIn-depth Intelligence sharing with peers is essential if critical sectors are to be protected
-
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
-
‘I take pleasure in thinking I can rid society of at least some of them’: A cyber vigilante is dumping information on notorious ransomware criminals – and security experts say police will be keeping close tabsNews An anonymous whistleblower has released large amounts of data allegedly linked to the ransomware gangs
