Olympus US was forced to take down computer systems due to cyberattack

guest · Oct 12, 2021

Olympus US was forced to take down computer systems due to cyberattack
October 12, 2021
https://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/123263/security/olympus-us-cyberattack.html

The medical technology giant Olympus was forced to shut down its computer network in America (U.S., Canada, and Latin America) following a cyberattack. The attack took place on October 10, 2021.

“Upon detection of suspicious activity, we immediately mobilized a specialized response team including forensics experts, and we are currently working with the highest priority to resolve this issue,” reads a press release published by the company.

“As part of the investigation and containment, we have suspended affected systems and have informed the relevant external partners. The current results of our investigation indicate the incident was contained to the Americas with no known impact to other regions.”
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The company did not reveal the type of attack that it has suffered, but the circumstances suggest a possible ransomware attack, anyway it did not say if it has also suffered a data breach. The investigation is still ongoing and Olympus states that it will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available
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guest · Oct 21, 2021

Olympus US hack tied to sanctioned Russian ransomware group
October 20, 2021
https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/20/olympus-americas-ransomware-evil-corp/

An “ongoing” cyberattack against the Japanese technology giant Olympus was caused by a Russian ransomware group sanctioned by the U.S. government, according to two people with knowledge of the incident.

A new malware variant known as Macaw was used in the attack that began on October 10, which encrypted Olympus’ systems in the U.S., Canada and Latin America. Macaw is a variant of the WastedLocker malware, both of which were created by Evil Corp., a Russia-based crime group that was subject to U.S. Treasury sanctions in 2019.
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It’s the second ransomware attack to hit the company in as many months, after its networks in Europe, the Middle East and Africa were knocked offline by the BlackMatter ransomware group in September. (BlackMatter and Evil Corp. are not known to be linked.)

“Olympus was hit by BlackMatter last month and then hit by Macaw a week or so ago,” Allan Liska, a senior threat analyst at security firm Recorded Future, told TechCrunch. Liska said that the Macaw malware leaves behind a ransom note on hacked computers that claims to have stolen data from its victims.
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Olympus said in a statement on Tuesday that the company was investigating the “likelihood of data exfiltration,” a common technique by ransomware groups known as “double extortion,” where the hackers steal files before encrypting the victim’s network and threaten to publish the files online if the ransom to decrypt the files is not paid.

When reached on Wednesday, Olympus spokesperson Jennifer Bannan declined to answer our questions or say if the company paid the ransom.
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