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Cybercriminals have paralyzed the computer systems of the Aargauer Brugg Group. Romanshorn’s subsidiary Fatzer AG is also affected. He has been battling the aftermath of the attack for almost a week.
The Fatzer AG subsidiary in Romanshorn is also affected by the hacker attack on the Brugg Group.
Last Thursday morning, the Brugg Group, based in the canton of Aargau, was the target of a cyber attack. Now it is clear: Fatzer AG in Romanshorn, one of the subsidiaries of the Brugg Group, is also affected by the attack.
After the attacks on Aebi Schmidt, Swiss Windows and Stadler Rail companies, Fatzer AG is already the fourth Thurgau-based company to be hacked.
The fourth victim
Thurgau companies are fighting hackers
A large Thurgau company was the first to be targeted by a cyber attack in 2014. Belarusian hackers attacked construction company Hüttwil Nüssli. The attack was limited to the website: the internal network was saved. In April 2019, cybercriminals attacked the Frauenfeld Aebi Schmidt company. The attack took the vehicle manufacturer’s mail traffic and Microsoft Windows programs out of service. A few days later, the malware paralyzed the Swiss Windows company. A month-long production downtime followed with high follow-up costs. In February 2020, Swiss Windows had to declare bankruptcy – 170 employees were laid off in Mörschwil SG, Müllheim TG and in the canton of Solothurn. The then CEO blamed the hackers’ attack for bankruptcy, among other things. The last major incident in Thurgau canton occurred in May 2020. Hackers stole data from Stadler Rail and tried to extort six million dollars. To put pressure on the Bussnang train builder, hackers published part of the stolen data twice – Stadler Rail was not yet ready to pay.
As the Brugg Group announced in a press release on Monday, the perpetrators encrypted data in the Group’s IT systems. As an immediate measure, the Brugg Group shut down all IT systems for the entire group.
This measure also affects Fatzer AG in Romanshorn. Patricia Iten, Brugg Group spokesperson, confirms:
“The Fatzer systems are integrated into the group’s IT infrastructure. As a result, Fatzer AG’s servers were also shut down. “
Unknown perpetrators want money
Iten confirms to the Luzerner Zeitung:
“The perpetrators have made a monetary claim.”
It remains to be seen how high this requirement is and whether the Brugg Group will respond to it. Iten says: “For tactical reasons, we cannot provide any information on this.” The Brugg Group media spokeswoman also does not comment on the identity or approach of the perpetrator.
Currently, IT specialists and internal and external forensic experts are clarifying how the attack was successful. Iten says: “The Brugg Group IT infrastructure and therefore the Fatzer systems are protected in accordance with current security standards.” For Fatzer AG customers, he cautiously approves:
“Currently we are not aware of any misuse of customer data.”
The Brugg Group also writes in the press release: “Our clients’ cloud systems are not affected by the cyber attack and will continue to function.”
Despite the server shutdown: The attack appears to have gone well for the Romanshorn steel cable company. Iten says:
“Fatzer’s production was not affected and he was able to continue without interruption.”
Until yesterday, however, some functions were restricted. Iten says, “Our team is working to reboot systems step by step.” This is also handled by both internal and external IT experts.
The attack has consequences around the world
The Brugg Group writes in the press release that they were prepared for the stage, had established a task force to investigate and:
“The prison authorities went on fire and a criminal complaint was filed.”
Because Brugg Group and Fatzer AG operate internationally, the attack by hackers has global consequences. The Brugg Group writes: “A report was made to the relevant data protection authorities in Germany and abroad.” After all: Overseas locations, like the Fatzer in Romanshorn, could still work.
