Hackers compromised the website of a public tram system, Luas, in Dublin Ireland on January 3rd. The hacker held the site on ransom demanding a payment of one bitcoin or $3,800 within five days or else they would publish stolen data from the transit system.
The ransom stated the following:
“You are hacked. Some time ago I wrote that you have serious holes. You didn’t reply. The next time someone talks to you, press the reply button. You must pay 1 bitcoin in 5 days. Otherwise I will publish all data and send emails to your users.”
Authorities immediately took down the website once compromised and notified customers in response to the incident. Luas also went to Twitter to notify their customers of the situation and to not click on their website, saying the following:
“The Luas website was compromised this morning, and a malicious message was put on the home page. The website has been taken down by the IT company who manage it, and their technicians are working on it. Luas are informed this may take the day to resolve.”
The transportation company has publicly disclosed that data records belonging to 3,226 people, who signed up for the Luas newsletter, may have been affected. The company is following best practices during this attack and have contacted everyone who may have been affected. As of right now, the website is still shutdown and the ransom has not been paid.
The website currently displays this message:
“Luas technicians are still investigating it and are working to restore the site.”
As we go into the new year, it is important for companies to be vigilant and of the possible security risks to their companies. Luas according to the hacker’s note was notified of their existing vulnerabilities, yet they did not act until it was too late. It is important to constantly monitor networks and websites for malware and unknown holes. For security advisory solutions, contact LIFARS today.
