UPDATES
threat
UPDATES
AUSTRIA
Austria’ s Ministry of the Interior has confirmed it was the victim of a sophisticated cyberattack that breached approximately 100 government email accounts. Discovered several weeks ago, the“ targeted and professional” attack prompted the ministry to disconnect its mail servers from the internet as a precautionary measure. While the breach caused temporary disruptions to some official communication, officials confirmed that no sensitive personal data of Austrian citizens or critical law enforcement information was compromised. A criminal complaint has been filed and an investigation into the attack vectors is underway. Due to the nature and professionalism of the incident, officials have suggested the attack may have been perpetrated by a state actor, though no specific group has yet been identified.
THE NETHERLANDS
A Dutch laboratory that handles cervical cancer screenings for the government has been the victim of a ransomware attack. The incident, which occurred in July but has only recently been publicised, has affected the data of 941,000 patients. The ransomware gang, known as Nova, has threatened to leak the patient data on the dark web. The lab has not commented on whether a ransom was paid. The incident highlights the vulnerability of critical healthcare infrastructure to cyberthreats, and the potential for a large-scale data breach to affect a significant number of people. It also underscores the ethical and security challenges faced by organisations when dealing with cyber extortion.
UNITED STATES
An IT incident at a third-party service provider has exposed the personal data of millions of TransUnion customers in the United States. The credit reporting agency has confirmed that it began notifying individuals who were affected by the breach, which occurred at the end of July. TransUnion has stated that the attack did not directly compromise its own systems; instead, hackers breached a service provider used by the company. Information filed with the Maine Attorney General’ s Office is widely thought to be the latest in a series of attacks on companies using a third-party platform, with other major firms such as Google, Adidas and Allianz Life also believed to have been affected.
BELGIUM
The personal data of an estimated 850,000 customers of the French telecoms operator Orange has been compromised following a cyberattack on its Belgian subsidiary, Orange Belgium. The breach, which was announced in late August, gave hackers access to customers’ names, telephone numbers, SIM card details, tariff plans and Personal Unlocking Key( PUK) codes. The company informed affected clients via email and stated that it had taken immediate steps to secure its systems. This is the second major cyber incident for Orange within a year, highlighting the persistent challenges faced by large telecommunications providers in protecting vast amounts of customer data.
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