Insurance Giant CNA Hit with Novel Ransomware Attack

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A novel ransomware attack forced insurance giant CNA to take systems offline and temporarily shutter its website. The attack occurred earlier this week and leveraged a new variant of the Phoenix CryptoLocker malware.
 
The Chicago-based company—the seventh largest commercial insurance provider in the world—said it “sustained a sophisticated cybersecurity attack” on Sunday, March 21, according to a statement on the home page of its website. The statement is the only functionality the company’s site currently maintains.
 
“The attack caused a network disruption and impacted certain CNA systems, including corporate email,” according to the statement.Though the company did not elaborate on the nature of the attack, a report in BleepingComputer said CNA was the victim of a new ransomware called Phoenix CryptoLocker. Cryptolockers are an oft-used type of ransomware that immediately encrypt files on the machines they attack and demand a ransom from the victims in exchange for the key to unlocking them.
 
Moreover, the threat actors behind Phoenix CryptoLocker are likely known entities–the cybercrime group Evil Corp, which recently resurfaced after taking a short hiatus from cybercriminal activity, according to the report.

The impact of the group’s latest attack was so serious that CNA disconnected its systems from its network “out of an abundance of caution” and is currently providing workarounds for employees where possible so the company can continue operating to serve its customers, the company said.

Sources familiar with the attack have told BleepingComputer that threat actors encrypted more than 15,000 devices on CNA’s network—including those of employees working remotely who were logged onto the company’s VPN at the time—when they deployed the new ransomware on Sunday, according to the report.

Read more: Insurance Giant CNA Hit with Novel Ransomware Attack | Threatpost