Impresa Attacked

Summary

The Lapsus$ ransomware group launched a significant cyberattack against Impresa, Portugal’s largest media conglomerate, disrupting its online presence and impacting websites, newspapers, and TV channels. The attack highlighted the increasing sophistication of ransomware gangs and the vulnerability of even large organizations. This incident underscored the ongoing threat of ransomware and its potential to disrupt critical services.

Explore the data solution with built-in protection against ransomware TrueNAS.

** Main Story**

Okay, so let’s talk about that Impresa hack back in ’22. It really put ransomware into sharp focus for a lot of companies, didn’t it? Lapsus$, those guys were pretty audacious. Early in the morning on New Year’s Day, of all times, they went after Impresa, which is essentially the media giant over in Portugal. And the effect was… well, pretty dramatic.

The Impresa Attack: A Wake-Up Call

Their websites went down, including Expresso and SIC, their big newspaper and TV channel. I mean, imagine trying to start the year with that kind of chaos. It’s definitely up there as one of the biggest cyber incidents Portugal’s ever seen. While TV broadcasts on the airwaves and cable weren’t affected directly, streaming services suffered, which obviously impacts online viewers. But here’s the kicker: they also managed to hijack one of Impresa’s verified Twitter accounts. Talk about rubbing salt in the wound! They then posted a ransom note, claiming they’d gotten into Impresa’s Amazon Web Services (AWS) account. You can imagine the scramble to lock that down. Good news is Impresa got control of AWS fairly quickly, and put their sites in maintenance, but Lapsus$ proved they still had access to something. It was a persistent headache for them, I’m sure.

Who is Lapsus$, Anyway?

Now, Lapsus$ isn’t new to this game. They’d already been making a name for themselves before going after Impresa. You know, hitting Brazil’s Ministry of Health and those big South American telecom companies like Claro and Embratel. They’re known for not just encrypting data and demanding money, they also like to steal it. Then they threaten to release it, unless, of course, their demands are met. It’s a double whammy. And that’s what makes them, and other groups like them, so dangerous. It’s not just about the money, it’s about the damage they can do to a company’s reputation, too. A friend of mine, who works at a law firm, told me that ransomware attacks have become a new niche for legal cases.

The Bigger Picture: Ransomware is Getting Scarier

That Impresa attack wasn’t some isolated incident. No, it highlighted something much more significant: the ever-growing threat of ransomware, which really impacts everyone. It’s not just big corporations, but small businesses and even individuals are at risk. The frequency and, frankly, the sophistication of these attacks are increasing. You know, as cybercriminals use more advanced technologies and even AI for their attacks. Speaking of AI; do you ever wonder how long it will be until AI cyber attacks are commonplace? It’s only a matter of time before we see a new generation of ransomware, I think.

Plus, ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) has made it way easier for basically anyone to launch an attack. If you don’t have the tech skills yourself, you can just buy the tools. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it, how we can hope to keep up? The answer is, in part, to really focus on cybersecurity. And that means regular data backups, you know, implementing multi-factor authentication and teaching employees how to spot a phishing email. All the basics, done right. Thinking about it, though, it’s crazy how much the cyber landscape has shifted even in the last few years. Back in 2020, it felt like we were just getting started with remote work. Now we’re dealing with sophisticated attacks like these on a regular basis. It shows you that constant vigilance is key. And I mean constant. We can’t afford to let our guard down, not even for a second. So, what’s the takeaway? The Impresa attack should serve as a really clear example for why any company should be putting cybersecurity at the top of the priority list.