Swiss government data published following supply chain attack – here’s what we know about the culprits
The Sarcoma ransomware group has published data on the dark web after accessing the systems of health promotion organization Radix
The Swiss government has warned that sensitive data has been stolen and leaked following a cyber attack on a supplier.
Radix, a non-profit organization in the health promotion sector, supplies a number of federal offices, whose data has apparently been accessed.
"Investigations are currently under way to determine the specific units and data affected by the attack," Swiss authorities said in a statement. "As Radix has no direct access to Federal Administration systems, the attackers did not gain entry to these systems at any time."
The government said that the Swiss National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) is coordinating further investigations.
The agency is in continuous dialogue with Radix, as well as the prosecution authorities and the Federal Administration units affected by the attack, and will release more information in due course.
With the government apparently refusing to pay a ransom, the stolen data has now been published on the dark web by the Sarcoma ransomware group.
"Affected individuals were personally informed if particularly sensitive personal data could have been affected," said Radix.
"Based on current knowledge, there is no indication that sensitive data from partner organizations has been affected."
Who are the Sarcoma ransomware group?
The Sarcoma ransomware group has appeared relatively recently, having been first detected late last year.
Since then, though, it's become highly active, targeting organizations including Smart Media Group Bulgaria, Unimicron, and TMA Group.
The group typically carries out its attacks via phishing emails, but is known to also target outdated software and vulnerabilities, as well as supply chain weaknesses.
Andrew Costis, engineering manager of the adversary research team at AttackIQ, said that while the group is a relative newcomer to the cyber crime landscape, it’s been “very active” and claimed 36 attacks in its first month.
"Sarcoma is known for implementing double extortion tactics, where members are pressured into paying ransoms to avoid information being leaked."
Governments are increasingly coming under fire from cyber attackers, and while this is mostly due to the activity of hostile nation states, there's a threat from financially motivated ransomware gangs as well.
“This incident is yet another reminder that public sector institutions and non-profits are not immune to the tactics of increasingly professionalised cybercriminal groups,” said Lee Driver, vice president of managed security services at Ekco.
“Even when the attack isn’t directly on government infrastructure, the ripple effect through shared third-party platforms can expose sensitive data and create serious trust issues.”
"With data already appearing on the dark web, we’re likely to see further implications as investigators identify which departments and datasets were affected."
According to the Swiss NCSC, it received a cyber incident report on average every 8.5 minutes last year. Over the first half of 2024, the number was almost twice that for the same period the previous year.
MORE FROM ITPRO
- Ransomware victims are getting better at haggling with hackers
- Building ransomware resilience to avoid paying out
- The new ransomware groups worrying security researchers in 2025
-
Ransomware cartels are fragmenting into volatile splinter groups, warns Met Police cyber chiefNews Commoditized "cyber crime bazaars" and AI data mining are forcing law enforcement to rewrite its playbook
-
New ransomware threat group, The Gentlemen, has become one of the most active ransomware operators, accounting for 10% of all attacksNews NTT researchers warn that the RaaS group is leveraging SystemBC malware to establish covert tunnelling, evade detection, and support rapid lateral movement across enterprise environments
-
Instructure chose to a pay ransom following the Canvas cyber attack – research shows more than half of security leaders would follow suitAnalysis Opting to pay ransoms creates huge risks for enterprises – you’re relying on the word of criminals
-
Ransomware negotiator sentenced for role in major cyber crime groupNews Deniss Zolotarjovs was a key player in a group associated with Conti
-
Threat actors ditch ‘spray and pray’ attacks in shift to targeted exploitationNews A dip in ransomware volumes points to a more targeted approach focused on vulnerability exploitation
-
Security leaders overconfident about ransomware recovery
News Few manage to recover all their data, and many experience business disruption
-
German authorities want your help finding the hackers behind GandCrab and REvilNews Daniil Maksimovich Shchukin and Anatoly Sergeevitsch Kravchuk are believed to have made millions from ransomware as a service schemes
-
The rise of teen hackers ‘makes for a good headline’, but cyber crime activities peak later in life
News With family responsibilities and mortgages to pay, it's not teenagers dishing out malware or carrying out cyber extortion
