Recently, there have been several high-profile cyberattacks on technology, healthcare, and other companies. There have even been attacks on the local governments in parts of Spain and Canada.
Let’s take a look at some of the cyber attacks that have taken place so far in 2024.
Russian Hackers Access Microsoft
In March, 2024, Microsoft announced that a Russian state-back cyber criminal group was able to hack them and access their core systems by using corporate email accounts.
Microsoft identified the attackers as a group of hackers known as Midnight Blizzard. This group is also known as Nobelium, APT29, and Cozy Bear. According to a blog post posted by Microsoft:
“In recent weeks, we have seen evidence that Midnight Blizzard is using information initially exfiltrated from our corporate email systems to gain, or attempt to gain, unauthorized access. This has included access to some of the company’s source code repositories and internal systems.”
However, Microsoft said they found no evidence that their company hosted customer-facing systems have been compromised.
And, according to an SEC filing, the breach has “not had material impact.”
This attack began in November of 2023, and Microsoft was actually able to remove the hackers from their systems in January of 2024.
However, Microsoft continues to work with federal law enforcement as part of an ongoing investigation into the incident.
The Ransomware Attack on Hamilton City Government
Last week City Hall in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada was the victim of a ransomware attack. The incident had profound effects on the city, including:
- All city phone lines shut down
- Paralyzing city council
- Negatively impacting the bus schedule app, library wifi, and permit applications
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that essentially holds a critical system or data hostage. Normal users cannot access them until they pay what the hackers ask for. Often in these attacks, hackers ask for cryptocurrency.
Unfortunately, ransomware attacks on Canadian cities and towns are nothing new. According to the CBC:
When the small southwestern Ontario town of St. Marys fell victim to a cyberattack in 2022, lawyers advised the municipality to pay a ransom of $290,000 in cryptocurrency.
Al Strathdee, mayor of the town with about 7,000 residents, said the potential risk to people’s data was too high not to pay up. The town reported spending at least $1.3 million to investigate and recover from the attack.
In Hamilton, all city council meetings have been canceled until at least March 15th and it has been made impossible for many city programs and services to continue as normal.
Lockbit Attack in Majorca, Spain
A ransomware attack devastated the local government Calvia, a popular tourist town in Majorca, Spain during the month of January. However, the mayor said the town would not comply with the cyber criminals and pay them.
While no specific cybersecurity group has claimed responsibility, reports indicated that Calvia was being held ransom for about 11 million USD using LockBit.
So, what exactly is LockBit, and how does it work?
According to Cyber Security News: `
While primarily known for crippling Windows systems, the infamous LockBit ransomware poses a growing threat to Linux and MacOS users as well. This RaaS (Ransomware-as-a-Service) offering empowers even novice attackers with potent encryption capabilities, making it a versatile tool for cybercriminals.
Recovering from LockBit attacks can also be hard on businesses and other entities. They face not only ransom demands but also downtime and data loss.
Lockbit lowers the barrier to entry for cybercriminals, the same way that low-code and no-code app development platforms have made it easier for those without coding experience to code.
As the first more widespread “Raas” platform of its kind, it is actually marketed on underground forums to those who want to commit acts of cybercrime but lack the know-how.
Canada’s Financial Intelligence Unit Attacked
The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, or FINTRAC, shut some of its systems down after a cyber attack.
FINTRAC’s work is to manage the detection, prevention and deterrence of money laundering and the funding of terrorist activities. It is also supposed to protect the data in its charge.
As a result of the breach, FINTRAC took its corporate systems offline. However, they said that the breach did not involve the center’s intelligence or classified systems.
Global News reports that Canadian governmental entities may be facing an increase in cybercrime from Moscow-based hackers due to their support for Ukraine in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
So far, in 2024, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police faced a cyber event targeting its network. The systems of Global Affairs Canada were also compromised in a cyber attack.
However, this was not the first attack on the GAC. There was one which led to some parts of their systems being shut down for a few days in 2022.
Ransomware Attack on Duvel Beer
In March 2024 Belgian beer production company Duvel found five of its facilities shut down during a ransomware attack, leading to an investigation.
According to a company statement from Duvel:
The built-in command systems and alarms in the IT-system worked well, so our IT department was immediately informed of the attack. The servers were immediately shut down, which also shut down production at the four Belgian production sites and the production site in Kansas City.
Duvel produces a number of beers. These include Chouffe, Vedett, and Liefmans. The company was founded in 1871 and produces millions of liters of beer a year.
French State Services Hit by ‘Unprecedented’ Wave of Cyberattacks
European cybersecurity experts have been warning that both the Olympic Games in July and the European Parliament Elections in June this year could be targeted by cybercriminals.
According to French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, several French state bodies were recently targeted with strong cyberattacks.
According to Attal’s office:
“Many ministerial services were targeted using familiar technical means but of unprecedented intensity.”
The PM’s staff said they activated a crisis cell to contain the damage. This reduced the impact of attacks while keeping state websites functional.
Several hacker groups claimed to be behind this attack on Telegram, but so far nothing has been confirmed.
One group, which identified itself as Anonymous Sudan, claimed that it had launched a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on French government network infrastructure.
According to Anonymous Sudan the group, which posts using an avatar of a hooded Guy Fawkes mask in the desert to represent themselves:
“We have conducted a massive cyberattack… the damage will be widespread. A lot of different digital government sectors have been affected, including very important websites, with their respective subdomains.”
Anonymous Sudan is a known cybercrime group that has carried out several recent international attacks. These include attacks in Scandinavia and Israel.
Not much is known about the group, which is likely based in Sudan and seems to target anti-muslim activity. There are some signs that it may be sympathetic to Russia, as it has a record of choosing targets that Moscow deems to be enemies.
According to the US cybersecurity firm Cloudflare, many groups are currently using DDoS attacks against organizations around the world.
According to France24:
A DDoS attack involves using a computer or network of computers to make a massive number of requests of a target system, overwhelming its ability to respond to legitimate users.
These types of attacks are common among cyber criminals.
Final Thoughts on the Recent Rise of Cyberattacks
It seems like cyberattacks have really been amping up over the last year or so. Since the start of the pandemic, cybercrime big and small has really been flourishing.
The harsh lockdowns, skyrocketing prices of basic necessities, escalating political tensions, and rising poverty have caused many more people to turn to these crimes as a way to make ends meet.
However, when it comes to the sophisticated hacking attacks of terrorist organizations, things get far more complicated and dangerous.
For example, the corporations behind major casinos were recently hacked in the US. Take a look at our blog post on the subject if you want to know more.
There are numerous cybercriminal organizations and individuals out there. While some seek to extort organizations or make a political statement, others do it just for their own entertainment. T
Especially with the invention of malicious software meant to make hacking easy in the midst of turbulent political times, we will likely see the rise of cybercrime, both big and small, in the coming months and years.
What do you think? Comment below.
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