Tag Archive for: council

Leicester Council confirms ransomware attack

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The confirmation comes after the criminals responsible for the attack uploaded stolen documents to their dark web site, prompting concerns over data security and user privacy.

INC Ransom, the group that has claimed responsibility, is notorious for targeting various governmental, educational and healthcare institutions.

The council revealed on 3rd April that approximately 25 sensitive documents, including rent statements, council housing purchase applications and personal ID records such as passport information were among those leaked.

“The breach of confidential information is a very serious matter and its publication is a criminal act. We are in the process of trying to contact all of those affected by this breach, and have also notified the Information Commissioner,” said Richard Sword, the council’s strategic director.

While the exact extent of the breach remains uncertain, Sword acknowledged the possibility that additional documents may have been compromised.

The INC Ransom group, which claims to have extracted 3 terabytes of data from Leicester City Council, has also published a ‘proof pack’ on a data leak site.

While the majority of the council’s systems and phone lines are now functioning normally, following a shutdown on 7th March when the attack was first detected, several critical services are still disrupted.

Emergency contact numbers were provided on the council’s website as alternative means of communication, particularly for essential services like child protection, homelessness support and adult social care safeguarding.

The council has cautioned residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious approaches from parties claiming to possess their data to Leicestershire Police. It says it is cooperating with law enforcement agencies, including Leicestershire Police and the National Cyber Security Centre, as part of the investigation.

The Information Commissioner’s Office has also been notified of the breach.

“As this is a live investigation, we are not able to comment in further detail, but will continue to provide updates when we have news to share,” Sword said.

INC Ransom’s involvement in the cyber incident extends beyond Leicester, as the group has also…

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Leicester City Council systems shut down after 'cyber incident' – BBC

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Leicester City Council systems shut down after ‘cyber incident’  BBC

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Ransomware gang demands €10 million after attacking Spanish council

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The mayor of Calvià, a municipality on the Spanish island of Majorca, has said the city council will not be paying an approximately €10 million extortion fee demanded by criminals following a ransomware attack.

Calvià, a region on the southwestern part of the resort island, has around 50,000 residents who have been informed that the council is working to “recover normality as soon as possible.”

In a statement on the council’s website, it confirmed that a crisis cabinet had been formed to evaluate the scope of the cyberattack, which was discovered on Saturday morning.

“The IT Service, accompanied by a team of specialists, is working on the mandatory forensic analyses, as well as on the recovery processes of our affected services,” the statement said.

Mayor Juan Antonio Amengual has said he will not consider paying the extortion fee, as reported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin. He also released a video statement on social media.

Spain was among the Counter Ransomware Initiative signatories that last year pledged “relevant institutions under the authority of our national government should not pay ransomware extortion demands.”

As a result of the attack on Calvià, the council has had to temporarily suspend all administrative deadlines — for instance the submission of civil claims and requests — until the end of January.

The city council said it had contacted the cybercrime department of the Civil Guard and shared its preliminary forensic analysis.

“The city council deeply regrets the inconvenience that this situation may cause and reiterates its firm commitment to resolve the current situation in the most orderly, rapid and effective manner possible,” the website said.

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Alexander Martin

Alexander Martin is the UK Editor for Recorded Future News. He was previously a technology reporter for Sky News and is also a fellow at the European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative.

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Countering the Ransomware Threat | Council on Foreign Relations

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Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger discusses international cyber cooperation initiatives to improve resilience to ransomware, efforts to disrupt ransomware and pursue those responsible for its proliferation, and countering illicit finance that underpins the ransomware ecosystem. 

SANGER: Well, good afternoon. I’m David Sanger from the New York Times. Great to see so many old friends in the crowd here. And we are joined by many others who are watching on video. And I’m delighted to be here with Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology. Anne has really sort of revolutionized the way the White House thinks and deals with all of these issues. So I am delighted that she’s here. 

So here’s how it’s going to unfold today. Anne and I are going to talk for about a half an hour on the new ransomware initiative she has, current ransomware issues, and a few other related cyber issues. And then at about 1:30, halfway through, we’re going to invite questions from the audience and from our extended audience as well. I want to remind everybody, boy, this makes me so happy to say, Anne, this is all on the record. (Laughter.) How often do we have a chance to talk on the record? This is great. And then we will proceed. That means that not only are Anne’s answers on the record, it means your questions are on the record. So think about that for a moment. (Laughs.) So. 

NEUBERGER: David’s joyfully enjoying this moment. 

SANGER: Yeah. (Laughs.) So, Anne, let’s just go back to the beginning of the administration when you were—after a quite remarkable career, which you can all read about in the materials in front of you, as a White House fellow, as the official of the NSA working on commercial issues, defensive issues, offensive issues—you end up coming to the White House. And even before President Biden is in office, while he is still in Delaware under COVID restrictions. Sort of hard to remember what this was all like now. The first big issue he is dealing with, apart from the fact that his predecessor was trying to overturn the election, was SolarWinds, right? We had the Russians having come in to the—to the…

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