Category Archives: NEW Cooperative

NSA, DHS shine light on BlackMatter ransomware threat to food industry, demands of up to $15 million

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A government advisory published Monday warned that BlackMatter ransomware attackers are going after U.S. critical infrastructure, including food and agriculture organizations, and demanding exorbitant payouts. It’s the latest joint alert from the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the FBI and the National Security Agency, this time about a form of ransomware that first emerged in July. It comes just days after a similar alert about ransomware threats to water and wastewater facilities. It’s also part of a recent push by federal security agencies to put a focus on the food and agriculture sector. “This advisory highlights the evolving and persistent nature of criminal cyber actors and the need for a collective public and private approach to reduce the impact and prevalence of ransomware attacks,” said Eric Goldstein, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA. BlackMatter seeks between $80,000 and $15 million in cryptocurrency, including bitcoin and Monero, […]

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CISA, FBI, NSA warn of increased attacks involving Conti ransomware

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The Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity agency, the FBI and National Security Agency urged organizations in an alert Wednesday to update their systems amid an increase in Conti ransomware attacks. DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI reported over 400 attacks using Conti ransomware against mostly U.S. targets. The group primarily runs “double extortion” campaigns in which hackers encrypt and steal files. In the scheme, they demand a ransom from the victim in order to restore access to the systems; if the victim doesn’t pay, the actors threaten to leak the stolen data. At least 16 of the 400 reported attacks targeted U.S. health care providers and first responder networks, the FBI reported in May. The Conti ransomware gang has already been linked to several major attacks this year. In June the gang stole roughly 18,000 files from the Tulsa police, leaking some after the city refused to […]

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Ransomware gang strikes Iowa agriculture business New Cooperative, the latest hack on food supply chain

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The BlackMatter ransomware gang has struck an Iowa agricultural business, New Cooperative, and is demanding a $5.9 million ransom. Several security researchers first called attention to the hack on Monday, and the company confirmed to Bloomberg that it had been hit with a cyberattack and shut down its systems in response. It’s another big hit against the agriculture industry, following the May ransomware attack on JBS by REvil, a gang that researchers said has ties to BlackMatter. New Cooperative is a grain collective based out of Fort Dodge. In negotiations dated Sept. 19 and posted online, a person speaking on behalf of the company said the attack would cause severe problems in the food supply chain. “We are critical infrastructure – we [sic] intertwined with the food supply chain in the US,” they wrote. “If we are not able to recover very shortly, there is going to be a very […]

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