Play Ransomware Hits Texas Electric Cooperatives: Major Data Breach Details
Incident Date:
July 11, 2024
Overview
Title
Play Ransomware Hits Texas Electric Cooperatives: Major Data Breach Details
Victim
Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc.
Attacker
Play
Location
First Reported
July 11, 2024
Ransomware Attack on Texas Electric Cooperatives by Play Ransomware Group
Overview of Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (TEC)
Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (TEC) is a prominent non-profit association headquartered in Austin, Texas. Established in 1941, TEC represents the interests of 75 electric cooperatives across the state, serving over 3 million members. The organization plays a crucial role in advocacy, training, and disaster response, ensuring reliable and affordable electric services across Texas. TEC's member cooperatives maintain nearly half of the electric distribution lines in Texas, covering over 75% of the state's land area.
Details of the Ransomware Attack
On July 11, 2024, TEC fell victim to a ransomware attack orchestrated by the Play ransomware group. The attack led to a significant data breach, compromising a wide array of sensitive information, including private and personal confidential data, client documents, budgets, payroll records, accounting details, contracts, tax documents, identification documents, and financial information. This breach potentially exposed the personal and financial details of over 3 million member-consumers served by TEC.
About the Play Ransomware Group
The Play ransomware group, also known as PlayCrypt, has been active since June 2022. Initially targeting Latin America, the group has expanded its operations to North America, South America, and Europe. Play ransomware is known for targeting diverse industries, including IT, transportation, construction, government entities, and critical infrastructure. The group employs various methods to gain entry into networks, such as exploiting RDP servers, FortiOS vulnerabilities, and Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities.
How the Attack Could Have Penetrated TEC's Systems
Play ransomware uses sophisticated techniques to infiltrate systems. They often exploit vulnerabilities in RDP servers and Microsoft Exchange, use valid VPN accounts, and employ tools like Mimikatz for privilege escalation. The group also uses custom tools to enumerate users and computers on compromised networks and copy files from the Volume Shadow Copy Service. Their ability to disable antimalware and monitoring solutions further aids in evading detection.
TEC's Vulnerabilities
TEC's extensive network and the critical nature of its services make it a prime target for ransomware attacks. The organization's reliance on interconnected systems and the vast amount of sensitive data it handles increase its vulnerability. The attack on TEC underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity measures, especially for entities involved in critical infrastructure.
Sources
Recent Ransomware Attacks
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