In a recent development, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers have fallen victim to a highly sophisticated cyberattack. This attack targeted a technology provider and resulted in the unauthorized exposure of information including ranks, photographs, the precise geolocation where the photos were taken, and the serial numbers of thousands of police officers.
The seriousness of this incident has prompted the involvement of the National Crime Agency, which has initiated an investigation into the matter.
Reports indicate that the hackers managed to access information pertaining to approximately 8,000 officers, but fortunately, no financial data was compromised during this breach.
In another concerning cybersecurity incident, Caesars Entertainment, a prominent casino operator with interests in the hotel industry, found itself in the crosshairs of a file-encrypting malware attack. The Nevada-based company confirmed that it had successfully resolved the issue, but not without a troubling twist.
The attackers, after receiving a substantial ransom payment in cryptocurrency, released the decryption key. Caesars Entertainment acknowledged that its IT personnel, under the guidance of cybersecurity experts, reluctantly complied with the hackers’ demands due to a lack of viable alternatives.
Sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking to Cybersecurity Insiders, revealed that the casino and gaming service provider had no choice but to accede to the cybercriminals’ demands since even their backup data had been compromised.
The incident is believed to be the work of Scattered Spider, also known as BlackCat or ALPHV Ransomware. This group, also identified as UNC3944, is characterized by its youthful membership and is notorious for activities such as SIM swapping and engaging in vishing attacks. This event underscores the audacity and sophistication of modern cyber threats, as the attackers managed to achieve their objectives in a mere ten-minute phone call.
NOTE- As per Moody’s analysis, the incident might put a severe denture to the credit rating of Caesars Entertainment in near future.
