Updated on 2022-12-30: Canadian Mining Company Hit with Ransomware
Canada’s Copper Mountain Mining Corporation (CMMC) suffered a ransomware attack in late December. CMMC isolated affected systems and took other systems down as a precaution. The company’s mill was shut down so engineers could determine whether its control systems were affected.
Note
- Copper Mountain had predefined plans which they followed, shutting down systems and reverting to manual controls while conducting their assessment, as well as enlisting the support of external partners. That is how DR plans are supposed to work. It was reported that compromised credentials for a CMMC employee were available for sale in a hacker marketplace on December 13th. While watching for compromised credentials, and taking action to change them is important, making sure that external entry points don’t allow access with reusable credentials is critical. Don’t forget to review, making sure that accounts which can bypass MFA are not added.
- Three observations from yet another ransomware attack: 1) Every sector, public and private is a target of cybercriminals 2) You need to be prepared for the eventuality of compromise; the importance of regularly testing recovery plans cannot be understated. 3) Use the ‘Blueprint for Ransomware Defense’ as a guide to protect against future attacks.
Overview
Canadian Copper Mountain Mining Corporation suffered a ransomware attack that forced the mining company to shut down mills and resort to manual processes.
“Copper Mountain is investigating the source of the attack and is in contact with the relevant authorities, who are assisting the Company” – Canadian Copper Mountain Mining Corporation
