Hackers attack Swiss defense contractor, threaten to put data on the “dark” web

On November 5, the Akira hacker group threatened to release military data belonging to a US subsidiary of Swiss defense contractor RUAG.

A VNA reporter in Switzerland quoted Akira's statement affirming that "it will publish 24 gigabytes of the company's data," including "detailed information from employees, confidential military information, many contracts and agreements (including military contracts), information on how to work with explosives, information confidentiality agreements..."

The attack targeted RUAG LLC, RUAG's US subsidiary, formerly known as Mecanex USA.

RUAG LLC is a partner of air forces worldwide , specializing in maintenance and spare parts procurement.

In Switzerland, RUAG LLC focuses on projects related to two fighter models, the F-5 Tiger and the F/A-18 Hornet.

On the same day, RUAG admitted to the data breach. RUAG's statement stated: "This was a ransomware attack targeting RUAG LLC - our subsidiary. However, due to the autonomy of the IT systems used there, this incident was isolated and did not affect other systems within the RUAG group."

Regarding the leaked data, RUAG confirmed that as of now, “no particularly sensitive data of its staff in Switzerland has been affected.”

The incident is being investigated and “appropriate measures have been taken.”

According to initial assessments, Akira uses self-developed ransomware, capable of stealing and encrypting victim data, making it inaccessible. The hacker group promises to provide decryption keys upon receiving ransom, and threatens to publish the data on the “dark web” if the victim refuses to pay.

In recent times, the Swiss Federal Office for Cyber Security (Bacs) has issued numerous warnings about Akira and advised companies not to pay any ransom.

Akira began attacking Swiss companies in May 2023 and has intensified these actions in recent months.

Local authorities have recorded about four to five cyber attacks per week - a record high.

In a statement last month, the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BAC) said 200 companies in Switzerland had fallen victim to ransomware from Akira./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/tin-tac-tan-cong-nha-thau-quoc-phong-thuy-si-doa-dua-du-lieu-len-web-den-post1075216.vnp