Breach report · Government
2 Public Wastewater Facilities Hit By Ransomware Attack
Ransomware hit two Maine wastewater plants via an outdated Windows 7 computer, taking office systems down for three days with no data compromised.
Exploit: Ransomware Company: Maine Department of Environmental Protection Industry: Government, Municipal Sources: bangordailynews.com
Cyber criminals continue to victimize government infrastructure targets as hackers recently deployed consecutive ransomware attacks on two public wastewater plants in Maine.
While officials are stating that the attacks were “fairly minor” the Department of Environmental Protection warned municipalities and water-sector professionals to remain vigilante. Although there was initial concern after the attacks, there appears to be “no threat to the public, no violation, no excursion, no health and safety threat.” Fortunately, there was no disruption interrupting treatment operations or damaging any other systems.
Staff at the facility reported the breach to have taken place on an outdated computer running Windows 7, resulting in their office computers being down for three days. The office systems have since been restored with no major repercussions. State employees further commented saying no ransom was paid as no personal information was compromised.