Cyber attackers have targeted a flood monitoring system with ransomware in Goa, India, demanding Bitcoin in return for decrypting the data.
The Water Resource Department (WRD) runs a flood monitoring system at 15 locations on Goa’s major rivers, designed to monitor water levels as part of its disaster management planning.
However, WRD executive engineer Sunil Karmarkar said the system was struck by a ransomware attack on June 21, taking place between 12am and 2am.
As a result, integrity of the system’s data was altered, preventing the ability to back up the previous data. According to Karmarkar, the server runs on a 24-7 internet line and an absence of antivirus protection and use of outdated firewalls helped facilitate the ransomware attack.
“The server has been under cyberattack of ransomware,” Karmarkar said in a report to authorities. “Under the attack, all the files are encrypted with eking extension and cannot be accessed.
“In a popup and stored file, the attackers are demanding Bitcoin cryptocurrency for the decryption of the data.”
In the aftermath, the flood monitoring system’s data could not be accessed or downloaded from the server, including data related to battery voltages of different stations.
Additionally, data packets regarding 12 of the flood system’s stations could not be transferred to the WIMS server, text messages and emails were unable to be obtained, and old data could not be backed up, Karmarkar added.
Police said they have asked representatives of Hyderabad-based software developer ASTRA Microwave Products being asked to help track down the culprits and better protect the flood monitoring system.
“This work has been awarded to ASTRA Microwave Products Ltd, Hyderabad,” Karmarkar revealed. “The company has been directed to block further damage and upgrade the system and recover the data at their own risk and cost.”
The attack is the latest example of cyber criminals that will attack any organisation and system with ransomware, regardless of its effect on people and society. While some groups such as Lockbit will veer away from targeting organizations such as hospitals and utilities, others – such as the notorious Conti ransomware attackers – are indiscriminate and will not take morals into consideration.
In the wake of the attack, prominent cybersecurity expert Kevin Beaumont took to social media to condemn the cyber criminals for targeting a critical safety system. He said on Twitter: “Whichever ransomware group did this should provide a free decryption key.”
-
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
