Kuwait’s Finance Ministry faces attack from Rhysida ransomware

The notorious Rhysida ransomware group has announced its latest cyberattack against Kuwait’s Ministry of Finance. The group revealed the hack on their leak website last September 25, 2023, indicating their successful infiltration of the government organisation’s systems.

According to the ransomware group’s post, they have managed to steal exclusive and sensitive data from the Kuwaiti Ministry of Finance. They have set a countdown of seven days for potential buyers to bid on this stolen information, including the targeted government agency itself.

The group is committed to its decision to sell to a single client, who will become the sole owner of the data. The starting price for this auction is a massive 15BTC or about $400,000.

Rhysida ransomware group’s operators has established a form on its website where interested clients can submit their email addresses and comment with their price bids. This act underscores the increasing audacity of cybercriminals in their pursuit of financial gain through extortion.

 

In response to the threats posed by the Rhysida ransomware group, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Finance has sought to reassure the public.

 

Through its official account on the “X” platform, the ministry stated that since the cyberattack, they have taken immediate measures to isolate their systems from other government entities. Furthermore, they emphasised that all financial transactions of government agencies are proceeding as usual, relieving concerns about potential disruptions to essential government functions.

It is worth noting that on September 18, 2023, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Finance had already disclosed that one of its systems was compromised by a virus. This prior disclosure suggests that the ministry has been actively addressing the issue, and its systems have been under investigation in the past few days.

As the investigation progresses, Kuwaiti authorities are working diligently to identify and apprehend the culprits behind this attack while ensuring the security of their government’s sensitive data.