Montenegro was recently hit by a cyberattack, which appears to be the Cuba ransomware gang.
The Montenegrin government has provided more information about a recent cyberattack that affected the country's critical infrastructure. According to the new information, the problems and system outages were caused by a ransomware attack .
The Minister of Public Administration, Maras Dukaj , told local television that an organized cybercrime group . was behind the attack The consequences are still visible, several days after the attack began.
The minister added that a "special virus" is being used in this attack and that the attackers are demanding a ransom of $10 million.
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Dukaj added that at this point, the state cannot give an estimate of when services affected by the ransomware attack will become available.
It is worth noting that the impacts were serious, as it is said that electronic government services, water supply networks and transport services were affected.
Previously, Dukaj himself, along with the Montenegrin Minister of Defense, told local media that they had enough evidence to believe that the cyberattacks were directed by Russian services.
The next day, however, the Cuba ransomware gang included the Parliament of Montenegro (Skupstina) in its list of victims and claimed to have stolen financial documents, emails with banks, balance sheets, tax documents, compensations, and even source code.
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The data was published in the "free" section of the website, available to every visitor without restrictions.
The gang behind Cuba has been making headlines lately. Three weeks ago, researchers discovered a new set of tools used by the gang. In June, Cuba ransomware updated its encryptor with additional options and created a communication channel for “live victim support.”.
Some claim that the group is associated with Russia.
US to help Montenegro fight ransomware attack
The ransomware attack targeting Montenegro was carried out through a new virus called “Zero Date,” Dukaj said in a Facebook. Montenegro has asked for help from NATO allies to combat the attack. The country became part of NATO in 2017 after ending its political ties with Russia.
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For now, most Montenegrin government websites have been temporarily disabled as a precaution, Bloomberg reported. The U.S. FBI 's Cyber Action Rapid Response Team is also offering assistance in dealing with the attack
The ransomware attack on the Montenegrin government is not the first in recent months. In April, the Russian-linked ransomware group Conti launched an attack on Costa Rica, telling a dark web that the country's citizens should pressure their government to pay the ransom.
Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
