Paraguay's military warns of "significant consequences" of ransomware after attack on internet provider.
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Paraguay's military issued a warning message over the weekend about the dangers of ransomware after a cyberattack caused widespread problems at one of the country's leading internet providers.
The country's General Directorate of Information and Communications - a service within the armed forces known by its initials Digetic - published an official notice on Sunday, explaining that the ransomware has "a significant impact, compromising backups, websites, emails and cloud storage.".
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Although the announcement stated that the alert is “purely informational and not linked to any specific incident,” it follows immediately after a ransomware affecting internet provider Tigo.
Local media reported that the military sent a private statement about the attack, noting that it was carried out by the hacking Black Hunt and affected more than 300 companies.
After rumors spread about the attack, Tigo issued its own statement on the matter.
Tigo confirmed that on January 4 it fell victim to a security breach that affected its infrastructure and the "normal provision of certain services to a limited number of corporate customers."
The company denied the extent of the vulnerable companies, while also stating that the Black Hunt group was not responsible for the attack.
“Most of the information regarding this case is strictly confidential and addressed to private companies, so no further details can be given.”
“We would like to report that, apart from the specific business services mentioned, no internet, phone or wallet services have been affected. From the beginning, the entire company has dedicated efforts, resources and teams to resolving this situation.”
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Tigo said it is working with each company to restore services and noted that it is working with government agencies on the issue.
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Tigo was the first mobile phone company in Paraguay and serves about half of the country.
The attack resembles one that took place in October, where a ransomware group attacked one of the largest telecommunications companies in Chile, prompting the country's government and military to issue urgent warnings about ransomware.
Ransomware groups continue to show little fear when directly attacking governments or key institutions, and in recent years several Latin American countries have been affected.
In addition to Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Martinique, and many other countries have experienced ransomware incidents since 2020.
There have also been many other rumored attacks in South American countries that have never been confirmed.
Source of information: therecord.media
