Here’s the latest installment of the Hacks, Attacks and Breaches cybersecurity news update.
The Logically team provides top cyber security stories every week to keep you up to date on the latest news headlines on cybersecurity, hacking, computer security, ransomware and other cybersecurity threats.
New Cooperative & Crystal Valley Cooperative
Exploit: Ransomware
New Cooperative & Crystal Valley Cooperative: Agricultural Services
Risk to Small Business: Twin breaches in agriculture have the potential to cause significant disruptions in the US food supply chain. Iowa-based farm service provider New Cooperative was the first ag company hit with a ransomware attack early last week, causing the company to shut down its IT systems. As part of its announcement, the company stated that there would be “public disruption” to the grain, pork and chicken supply chain if its operations are not restored quickly. New ransomware group BlackMatter claimed responsibility, releasing proof on their dark web leak site, saying that they have 1,000GB of data. BlackMatter is demanding a $5.9 million ransom. Minnesota-based farm supply and grain marketing cooperative Crystal Valley was the next hit by a ransomware attack a few days later. The company announced that all of its corporate IT systems were shut down and they were unable to process credit card payments. It also noted that this is a very bad time for cyberattacks in the industry as it is harvest season. No group has yet claimed responsibility for this incident.
How it Could Affect Your Business: As we learned throughout the pandemic, cybercriminals are aware of when it’s the worst possible time for them to strike and they’ll use that as leverage in their attacks.
Simon Eye & US Vision
Exploit: Hacking
Simon Eye & US Vision: Optometry Clinic Operators
Risk to Small Business: A pair of breaches in the optometry world by Simon Eye and US Vision has exposed the personal and health information of tens of thousands of US patients. Delaware-based Simon Eye Management, a chain of clinics that provide eye exams, eyeglasses and surgical evaluations, reported a hacking incident to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) affecting more than 144,000 individuals. This incident also included an aborted business email compromise attempt. In their HIPAA filing, the breach involved an unauthorized third party accessing certain employee email accounts in May 2021 as cybercriminals attempted to pull off wire transfer and invoice manipulation attacks against the company. New Jersey-based USV Optical Inc., a division of US Vision, has also reported a breach to HHS caused by hacking. The company says the incident involved unauthorized access to certain servers and systems between April 20 and May 17, 2021.
How it Could Affect Your Business: When companies fail to keep highly sensitive data like this safe, they take a direct hit to the wallet since it costs them a fortune in HIPAA fines once regulators get finished with them.
Marcus & Millichap
Exploit: Ransomware
Marcus & Millichap: Real Estate Firm
Risk to Small Business: Real estate giant Marcus & Millichap has suffered a ransomware attack. Suspected to be the work of the Black Matter ransomware gang, the firm disclosed in an SEC filing that it had seen no evidence of a data breach, although Black Matter did post some authentic-looking sample files with its ransomware demand on its dark web leak site. The incident is under investigation. (The second breach in this pair is in the South America section.)
How it Could Affect Your Business: Booming dark web data markets mean that cybercriminals are hungry for all kinds of data, especially customer records and financial information.
