The Hessen state in Germany was attacked, according to the incorrect information. The Hessen Consumer Center’s affiliation with the government has been updated.
A ransomware attack has affected the Hessen Consumer Center in Germany, temporarily causing IT systems to shut down and obstructing its service.
Frankfurt, the second-largest metropolitan area and major financial center of the nation, is a state in central Germany that has over six million residents.
The Hessen Consumer Center is a non-profit organization that has the mission to offer Hessen’s citizens unbiased and impartial advice on consumer law, phone and internet, finance and insurance, energy saving, health and care, food and nutrition, and other issues.  ,
According to an announcement made yesterday on the organization’s online portal, a cyberattack that took place on February 22 affected phone and email communications.
The Hessen Consumer Center’s IT infrastructure was attacked early on Thursday morning, according to the announcement. ( machine translated )
The Hessen Consumer Center was therefore unable to be reached on Friday for a brief period of time due to this.
People still have trouble reaching the consumer advocacy center and consumer advocates despite the website’s fully functional and generally addressed communication issues.
External IT security experts assist the organization in its efforts to restore all communication channels to the affected advice centers, but no timetable has been given for a return to normal operations.
The possibility of a data breach that might have had an impact on Hessen citizens who have contacted the advice center is the more worrying aspect of the cyberattack.
Ransomware hackers frequently spoof information from compromised networks before implementing encryption, which they then use as leverage in the extortion phase.
The advice center stated that while no one can say for certain whether any data has been stolen at this point in the investigation, they will contact the affected people if and when a personal data compromise is discovered.
” Some backup systems and the server’s data are currently encrypted,” the statement continued. Which data has been leaked, and when? Those impacted by this will be informed as soon as it becomes clear. Hessen Consumer Advice Center
In line with its commitment to data protection, Hessen’s consumer advice center stated that the company strives to keep the smallest possible amount of data on its servers. The data types it held were not specified, though.
The state’s offices for data protection and IT security have been informed about the cybersecurity incident, and the Hessen police have received a criminal complaint.
None of the major ransomware organizations had accepted responsibility for the organization’s attack last week as of the time I write this.
Update: 2:28- The Blackcat/ALPHV ransomware gang claimed responsibility for the attack at the Hessen Consumer Center, and it published data samples on its extortion website.
