Netwalker Ransomware Attack Blocks Argentinas Borders

▤ Summary

This time, Netwalker took the lead in what appears to be the first raid against a state agency that practically brought its operations to a temporary halt. The target — Argentinas Immigration Directorate (Dirección Nacional de Migraciones) reportedly did not pay any ransom, yet had to close the country’s borders for 4 hours to handle the crisis. The cyber crooks in charge demanded a $2 million compensation, payable in Bitcoin, in exchange for a decryption tool. As soon as Argentina’s national cybercrime department became aware of the attack, the government shut down the entire computer network deployed by the countrys immigration directorate. The shutdown, which was a deliberate move on the governments part, fulfilled a dual purpose — it allowed officials to both clean up all infected devices and prevent Netwalker from spreading any further down the line.

▦ Linked Companies

EnigmaSoft

$1M to $5M