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The U. S. Embassy The U. S. Department of Homeland Security in Montenegro warned Americans that an ongoing ransomware attack in the country may lead to widespread disruption of primary public and government services.
The ransomware attack, which was first shown through Montenegro’s National Security Agency (ANB) last week, targeted government systems and other critical public infrastructure and services, adding electricity, water and transportation systems. At the time of writing, the official online page of the Government of Montenegro cannot be had and reports recommend that several power plants switched to manual operations as a result of the attack.
Montenegro officials said no knowledge had been stolen and claimed there was no permanent damage as a result of the attack.
However, Montenegro’s ANB said the country was “under a hybrid war” and blamed the attack on “coordinated Russian services. “
Since then, the U. S. Embassy has been in the U. S. The U. S. Department of Homeland Security in Montenegro has issued its own notice, writing that the government is facing a “persistent and ongoing” cyberattack. The embassy warned. It calls on citizens living in the Balkan state to restrict travel, review non-public protection plans and “Pay attention to your surroundings”.
According to malware organization VX-Underground, the Cuban ransomware organization claimed duty for the attack.
On its obscure website, noted through TechCrunch, the Cuban ransomware organization claims to have received “financial documents, correspondence with bank employees, account movements, balance sheets, tax documents, reimbursement [and] the code” from Montenegro’s parliament on August 19. .
Montenegro has been prime minister since Aug. 20, when the country’s parliament voted to adopt a move of distrust in the ruling government.
Cybersecurity firm Profero in the past connected the Cuban ransomware organization with Russian-speaking hackers, which investigators observed as the organization negotiated with its victims. Profero said he believed the organization was “not state-sponsored. “
The ransomware gang has been around since 2019 and last year, the FBI issued an alert to warn organizations that cybercriminals were critical infrastructure. The FBI said it observed about 50 targeted entities and that hackers demanded tens of millions of dollars from victims.
The attack on Montenegro comes just months after the Russian-linked ransomware organization Conti attacked the Costa Rican government in a week-long attack that began in April. to pay the ransom, which the organization later doubled to $20 million.
Fears grow for smaller countries after ransomware escalation in Costa Rica