Ransomware incident disrupts Russian vodka maker

Major Russian alcoholic drink producer and distributor Novabev Group had its infrastructure disrupted by a ransomware attack earlier this week that has also prompted closures at its liquor store subsidiary WineLab, which had its point-of-sale systems and online services impacted by the intrusion, according to The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. Ongoing investigation has not shown any evidence suggesting the compromise of customer data, said Novabev Group, which noted its refusal to negotiate with its ransom-demanding attackers. "The company maintains a principled position of rejecting any interaction with cybercriminals and refuses to fulfill their demands," Novabev Group added. While additional information regarding the extent of the incident remains lacking, Novabev was reported by Russian news outlet Vedomosti, citing local retailers, to have stopped shipments for at least two days. WineLab has been estimated by Forbes Russia to have been losing $2.6 million to $2.8 million per day of operational downtime.