Ransomware Identified as Cause of CUNA 'Cyber Incident'
Earlier this week, CUNA officials also said they were working with the FBI on an investigation into the cause of the problem.
CUNA’s “cyber incident” that knocked the trade group’s system offline earlier this week was caused by ransomware, Vicki Christner, CUNA’s vice president of strategic communications, confirmed Friday.
Ransomware attacks often begin with phishing emails with fake links to install malware to encrypt and hold hostage the target’s files or computers. Hackers then demand a ransom from the affected entity to remove the encryption.
Christner said as soon as CUNA diagnosed the problem, trade group officials informed their members. Earlier this week, CUNA officials also said they were working with the FBI on an investigation into the cause of the problem.
In October CUNA hosted a simulated ransomware attack, aimed at helping credit unions defend against ransomware using a simulated ransomware attack at Credit Union House in Washington, D.C., and remotely. CUNA joined with the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) and ManTech, a provider of cybersecurity solutions, to conduct the session.