According to a report by Reuters, despite the wide array of preventive measures being taken by Cognizant and its employees, the information technology services provider has fallen victim to the notorious Maze ransomware.
IT services provider Cognizant informs that its headquarters in New Jersey had just faced a ransomware attack on Sunday, causing a disruption in the company’s BAU.
Following this, the company has released a statement on its official website – which resulted in an alarming response from its clients who feared some of their data might be affected by the attack. The statement reads:
Cognizant can confirm that a security incident involving our internal systems, and causing service disruptions for some of our clients, is the result of a Maze ransomware attack.
Ransomware – and how Maze is any different
As defined, ransomware is a type of malware that prevents its users from accessing their files. It threatens to compromise the said files and systems that control and regulate financial and general operations and leads its victim to give a ransom payment in order to recover them.
Tech experts identify Maze as a unique one. Its hackers have the ability to transfer the data to their server. and they are bent on releasing the said files on the internet should they fail in making the payment.
Companies are starting to panic
During the investigations, hackers who were linked to the said ransomware attacks have been questioned, and none of the results was able to pinpoint the actual identities of the perpetrators.
It can be recalled that Chubb, an insurance giant with offices situated in different countries, has been hacked by the same Maze ransomware data breach in the past month.
As the hackers prey on these industry giants amid the pandemic, small- and middle-sized businesses are starting to be concerned.
Does your endpoint protection protect you from Maze?
Time to switch to one that does @sentinelone SentinelOnehttps://t.co/ITBToyqvSkDozens of companies have data dumped online by ransomware ring seeking leverage – Ars Technica https://t.co/5IKoUjYKPN
— Silo City IT (@silocityit) January 29, 2020
Views and findings from cybersecurity experts
For the record, reports suggest that 140 million has been lost to ransomware attackers. Cybersecurity expert Cyble informs that the ransomware group has turned itself into a well-funded network since its rise in 2019.
Amid the chaos in the cyberworld, some believe that these incidents will pave the way for stronger and harder-to-penetrate systems and other innovations. However, they have to survive these attacks first – if they can.
Featured image courtesy of Gruja RS/YouTube Screenshot.