The Xplain hack was probably not a targeted attack on the federal government

The federal data released was not part of a targeted attack on the federal government, the National Center for Cybersecurity (NCSC) said. The “Play” group is attacking one company after another, said NCSC director Florian Schütz.

A targeted attack on Switzerland would be atypical for “Play,” Schütz said in an interview with Tamedia newspapers published on Wednesday.

The group steals data, encrypts it and demands a ransom. According to Schütz, there was only a ransom demand from the IT service provider Xplain. “And she didn’t pay, which we applaud,” Schütz said.

Hackers attacked a vulnerability on the Xplain servers with ransomware and stole data from the federal government. Since no ransom was received, they published several million pieces of data on the dark web. They were still there on Tuesday, according to a sample of IT experts. However, the download speed is moderate.

Victims are informed

The NCSC currently has no indication that further federal data is at risk at Xplain, Schütz said. In addition, groups like “Play” would quickly focus on the next goals.

The analysis of all data will take a long time, according to the NCSC director. “All injured parties will be informed, by post or e-mail,” said Schütz. The body or company will therefore inform the injured party about what to do. In principle, he advised individuals not to do anything.

(jam/sda)