Ireland is at risk of being left without communication due to Russian hackers

The alleged Russian cybercriminal group C10p gained access to 143 gigabytes of sensitive data belonging to the Irish communications regulator ComReg in a cyberattack in May. Now the attackers threaten disclosure of data.

Hackers exploited a vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer system, actively used by ComReg. This vulnerability led to the compromise of at least 160 confirmed victims in June.

ComReg covers most forms of communications in Ireland, including internet, telephony and television. The company’s database contained a significant amount of confidential information about telecommunications organizations. In connection with the attack, ComReg was forced to inform many companies about the leakage of their data.

A spokesman for the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications confirmed the information, stating, “The National Cyber ​​Security Center (NCSC) is aware of a recent cyberattack on the ‘MOVEit’ file transfer platform.” However, the NCSC declined to comment directly, citing operational reasons.

The situation has caused alarm among experts. Fergal Lyons, a division of Centripetal, outlined the scope of the problem: “The MOVEit hack continues to have serious consequences on a global level. This incident resulted in significant disruption to services, financial loss and damage to the reputation of organizations. The attack also raises concerns about the general vulnerability of critical infrastructure and highlights the need to strengthen cybersecurity measures across all industries.”

On June 10, based on NCSC data, it became known that “Progress Software Corporation disclosed the details of several SQL injection vulnerabilities in the MOVEit Transfer web application. Exploitation of these vulnerabilities allows attackers to send fake data packets to the application endpoint. This, in turn, may lead to the modification and disclosure of the contents of the “MOVEit” database.

C10p, also known as TA505 and FIN11, has been active in the cybercrime market since 2018. According to general estimates, their attacks affected almost 2 million people and more than 350 organizations around the world, including, for example, Deutsche Bank.