Major U.S. cable operator and internet service provider WideOpenWest had its servers claimed to have been completely compromised by the newly emergent Arkana Security ransomware operation, reports Cybernews.Aside from pilfering 403,000 WOW! user account data, including full names, usernames and salted passwords, email addresses, login histories, and security questions and answers, Arkana Security also purported exfiltrating a separate CSV file with 2.2 million records, including names, addresses, phone numbers, and devices, while touting total backend access. Attackers also exposed data allegedly from WOW! CEO Teresa Elder as it warned the ISP to pay its demanded ransom within two days. While WOW! has yet to acknowledge Arkana Security's claims, such a data breach was reported by Hudson Rock researchers to have stemmed from an information-stealing malware attack against an employee's computer in September that enabled access to WOW!'s critical systems, including its AppianCloud infrastructure and Symphonica admin panel. "This incident underscores the growing threat of infostealers as a precursor to ransomware attacks and the urgent need for organizations to prioritize infostealer monitoring to prevent such breaches," said Hudson Rock.
An In-Depth Guide to Ransomware
Get essential knowledge and practical strategies to protect your organization from ransomware attacks.
Attacks involving ransomware were discovered by NCC Group to have totaled 600 in March which is 32% lower than in February but 46% higher than the same month last year with the month-to-month decline believed by NCC Head of Threat Intelligence Matt Hull to be a "red herring" after the recent surge in intrusions, Infosecurity Magazine reports.
Major Connecticut-based nonprofit healthcare network Yale New Haven Health has confirmed having data from more than 5.5 million individuals compromised following a network intrusion last month, making the incident the largest health data breach so far this year, The Register reports.
