EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Onslow Water and Sewer Authority (ONWASA) has reported that it has been infected with the Ryuk ransomware. The attack took place on Saturday. While customer information remained intact, and the water supply was not harmed, the ONWASA organization has been thrown into chaos.

As CyberScoop reports, ONWASA CEO Jeffrey Hudson said on Facebook, “We experienced a catastrophic loss inside our computer network.”

As a result of the attack, customer-service functions have been taken offline and service orders are being fulfilled manually.

Hackers went after the utility’s servers and computers, forcing ONWASA to rebuild its databases and network systems infrastructure.

CyberScoop writes, “ONWASA’s press release said that hackers had ‘specifically targeted’ the utility in the wake of Hurricane Florence.” Officials had warned that cybercriminals might attempt to exploit the victims of the storm and others involved in addressing the havoc following the hurricane.

ONWASA is working with authorities, including the FBI and DHS, to investigate the incident.

Get the full story at CyberScoop.