Ransomware Gang Demands $5M From Austrian State Carinthia

In an initial briefing given on May 24, immediately after the attack was detected, Kurath described the issue as an “IT system failure” due to a “hacker attack” that paralyzed the entire state administration. This forced them to shut down nearly 3,700 administrative systems as a preventive measure, Kurath adds. This made its email services inoperable as well as some phone lines of the state and administrative departments, including Carinthia’s district authorities, the state administrative court and the court of auditors, among others. COVID-19 contact tracing services in Austria were not spared, and Kurath says “Currently, no suspected case tests can be carried out,” and that those who suspect symptoms should self-prescribe and get a PCR test done from a pharmacy. The government of Carinthia also informed the country’s data protection officer, who in turn notified the data protection authority of Austria, a legal requirement that should be done within 72 hours of the discovery of any cyber incident, Kurath says.