Home Technology Play ransomware claims disruptive assault on Metropolis of Oakland

Play ransomware claims disruptive assault on Metropolis of Oakland

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Oakland

The Play ransomware gang has taken accountability for a cyberattack on the Metropolis of Oakland that has disrupted IT programs since mid-February.

Oakland is a metropolis in California on the east facet of the San Francisco Bay Space with a inhabitants of about 440,000. The town serves because the area’s principal hint heart and financial engine.

The town’s authorities knowledgeable the general public it had been focused by a ransomware assault on February 10, 2023. It impacted all community programs besides 911 dispatch, hearth emergency companies, and town’s monetary programs.

On February 14, 2023, the Metropolis of Oakland issued an area state of emergency to expedite restoring the impacted programs and bringing all its companies again on-line as quickly as attainable.

All enterprise taxation obligations acquired a 45-day extension, as town couldn’t facilitate on-line funds. Parking quotation companies have been additionally impacted, not accepting calls or transactions at cashier cubicles.

By February 20, 2023, IT specialists helped restore entry to public computer systems, scanning, printing, library companies, and wi-fi web connectivity all through town’s amenities.

Nevertheless, town’s non-emergency telephone companies (OAK311) and the enterprise tax licenses remained unavailable, whereas the net allow heart returned to partial service.

The newest replace on the Metropolis of Oakland web site got here on February 28, 2023, two weeks after the ransomware assault, with the service standing remaining primarily unchanged.

Play claims accountability for assault

The Play ransomware gang has now claimed accountability for the assault on Oakland, itemizing them as victims on its extortion web site on March 1, 2023, as first noticed by safety researcher Dominic Alvieri.

City of Oakland listed on Play ransomware site
Metropolis of Oakland listed on Play ransomware web site (BleepingComputer)

The risk actors declare to have stolen paperwork containing non-public, confidential information, monetary and authorities papers, identification paperwork, passports, private worker information, and even info allegedly proving human rights violations.

These paperwork have been allegedly stolen through the hackers’ intrusion into the Metropolis of Oakland’s networks. They’re now used as leverage to get town’s administration to fulfill their calls for and pay the ransom.

The risk actors threatened to publish the above paperwork tomorrow, so that they gave Oakland roughly 72 hours to reply to the extortion.

Not one of the standing updates revealed on the Metropolis of Oakland’s portal point out information exfiltration, so town’s authorities haven’t but confirmed that information was stolen.

Play ransomware launched in June 2022 when victims started disclosing assaults within the BleepingComputer boards.

Since then, the ransomware operation has attacked many organizations, together with Belgium metropolis of AntwerpH-AccommodationsRackspaceArnold Clark, and A10 Networks.


Replace 3/4/23 – The Metropolis of Oakland revealed an replace on its standing web page yesterday, saying that they just lately grow to be conscious that information might have been stolen from its networks.

“Whereas the investigation into the scope of the incident impacting the Metropolis of Oakland stays ongoing, we just lately turned conscious that an unauthorized third celebration has acquired sure recordsdata from our community and intends to launch the knowledge publicly,” reads the standing replace.

“If we decide that any particular person’s private info is concerned, we’ll notify these people in accordance with relevant legislation.”



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