Tag Archive for: center

Artificial intelligence Can Exacerbate Ransomware Attacks, Warns UK’s National Cyber Security Center


UK-based organizations and businesses have always been prominent victims of cyber threats – particularly ransomware. Britain’s cyber mastermind has recently investigated the role of AI and predict that the number of these attacks will only increase with time. Hackers will get ample chances to breach sensitive data due to the convenience that AI provides.

The National Cyber Security Center released a report stating their findings. According to them, AI removes the entry barrier for hackers who are new to the game. They can easily get into any system and carry out malicious activities without getting caught. Targeting victims will be a piece of cake with AI being available round the clock.

The NCSC claims that the next two years will significantly increase global ransomware threat incidents. Contemporary criminals have created criminal generative AI, more popularly referred to as “GENAI.” They are all set to offer it as a service, for people who can afford it. This service will make it even easier for any layman to enter into office systems and hack them.

Lindy Cameron who is the chief executive at NCSC, urges companies to remain at pace with modern cyber security tools. She emphasizes the importance of using AI productively for risk management on cyber threats.

Ransomware is the most frequent form of cybercrime, with good reason. It offers substantial financial compensation and has a well-established business model. Moreover, with the integration of AI, it’s evident that ransomware attacks are not going anywhere.

The Director General, James Babbage at NSA further ascertains that the released report is factually correct. Criminals will continue exploiting AI for their benefit and businesses must upscale to deal with it. AI increases the speed and abilities of already existing cyberattack schemes. It offers an easy entry point for all kinds of cyber criminals – regardless of their expertise or experience. Babbage also talks about child sexual abuse and fraud – both of which will also be affected as this world advances.

The British Government is strategically working on its cyber security plan. As of the latest reports, £2.6 billion ($3.3 billion) has been invested to…

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Ransomware attack in Swedish data center


[UPDATED: 10:45 CET, January 21st]

One of Tietoevry’s several datacenters in Sweden was partially subject to a ransomware attack during the night of Jan 19-20. While overall recovery has progressed, services for the customers in scope remain impacted.

The attack was limited to one part of one of our Swedish datacenters, impacting Tietoevry’s services to some of our customers in Sweden. Tietoevry immediately isolated the affected platform, and the ransomware attack has not affected other parts of the company’s infrastructure. Tietoevry has taken highest level of action to investigate, mitigate and resolve the situation. A large team of experts are working on several tracks in parallel around the clock on this. We have notified the directly affected customers and are in dialogue with them for updates on the situation.

“We sincerely apologize for the problems this malicious attack is causing for our customers and everyone that is impacted by this. We have allocated all necessary resources to address this with full attention. We are in active dialogue with our customers who are directly affected”, says Venke Bordal, Head of Market Sweden, Tietoevry Tech Services.

“Currently, we are not able to say how long it will take for systems to be restored but we are laser-focused on resolving this as soon as technically possible. The security and continuity of our services is of utmost priority to us, and we take this situation extremely seriously. The incident is being investigated by both internal and external specialists, and as a ransomware attack is a serious criminal act, it has also been reported to the police. Tietoevry is on high alert and is monitoring the situation continuously”, says Venke Bordal.

Tietoevry is following a well-tested methodology in order to restore infrastructure and services. The work is conducted in a planned sequence to ensure correct handling of customer data. Time schedule will also vary somewhat depending on the customer, the solutions in question and the related data restoring needs. This work is conducted in close collaboration with the customers in question.

Further information:
Tietoevry Communications,

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Hunters International ransomware gang claims to have hacked the Fred Hutch cancer center


Hunters International ransomware gang claims to have hacked the Fred Hutch Cancer Center

Pierluigi Paganini
December 16, 2023

The Hunters International ransomware gang claims to have hacked the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (Fred Hutch).

Another healthcare organization suffered a ransomware attack, the Hunters International ransomware gang claims to have hacked the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (Fred Hutch).

The ransomware gang has added the organization to its dark web leak site and is threatening the victim to leak the alleged stolen data.

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is an independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Washington. Its mission is to improve the lives of people worldwide through research, clinical care and education.

The center’s research focuses on cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. Fred Hutch investigators are making groundbreaking discoveries in cancer genomics, immunotherapy, precision medicine and other fields.

The organization operates a network of clinical sites in the US.

Earlier in December, Fred Hutch disclosed a cyber attack that took place on November 19, 2023. Threat actors had access to its infrastructure.

The Seattle Times reported that Fred Hutch patients started receiving email threats following cyberattack.

“Then this week, the spam emails started to arrive. The threats were sent to a number of former and current Fred Hutch patients — as well as some who have received care from Hutch partner UW Medicine — and claimed the names, Social Security numbers, phone numbers, medical history, lab results and insurance history of more than 800,000 patients had been compromised.” reported the Seattle Times.

“If you are reading this, your data has been stolen and will soon be sold to various data brokers and black markets to be used in fraud and other criminal activities,” the alleged hackers wrote, according to several emails shared with The Seattle Times.”

Fred Hutch
Robert M. Arnold Building, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

The organization immediately started the incident response procedure, it took impacted systems offline, a circumstance that suggests that Fred Hutch was the…

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After cyberattack, Tri-City Medical Center documents reportedly found on dark web


Just days ago, a cyber security expert posted on social media that an extortion operation called INC RANSOM was claiming it had records stolen from Tri-City Medical Center — and that some were posted on the dark web.

“When someone posts online, they’re showing almost as proof that they have breached the system, and typically will follow that with some type of a demand,” Cyber Center of Excellence CEO Lisa Easterly said.

The post included “proof” in the form of eight pages presumably taken from Tri-City during the digital attack, University of San Diego professor of cybersecurity Nikolas Behar said.

“We’re seeing them post things like patient authorization forms, financial records and they’re going to contain things like name, phone number. But we’re not certain if they accessed any of the electronic medical records,” he said about the INC RANSOM post.

Tri-City did not respond to a request for an interview or statement on the matter.

Easterly said everyone should practice proper digital hygiene to protect themselves from cyberattacks. That includes turning on multi-factor authentication, updating software, using strong passwords and thinking before you click on a link to not fall victim to a phishing scam.

As for victims of a cyber security breach, she has further advice: “Monitor your credit. You can request free credit reports from all three credit bureaus and place freezes on your credit and your children’s credit. This is very important, to help thwart potential identity theft,” Easterly said.

The FBI has recorded a large increase in cybercrime complaints and financial losses since the COVID-19 pandemic when much of our lives shifted online.

“If you are a victim where they are putting it online, first things first is — get in touch with your local FBI office or your law enforcement fusion center,” Easterly said.

Currently, Behar said there is no indication of just how many Tri-City records might be in the attacker’s possession.

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