Rhysida ransomware gang takes responsibility for attack on World Council of Churches
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Rhysida ransomware gang has taken responsibility of a Christmas-season cyberattack on the World Council of Churches (WCC), an influential Christian organization.
The WCC, which represents a broad spectrum of Christian denominations totaling half a billion people, reported that it suffered a ransomware attack, though specifics about the perpetrators were initially withheld. They were contacted by hackers on December 26, demanding a ransom in exchange for the accessed information. The attack led to a complete shutdown of their systems including their website.
The incident has been reported to Swiss police and other local law enforcement authorities and the WCC engaged in efforts to restore and fortify their digital infrastructure.
No details are disclosed about data breached or number of affected individuals.
On January 5th 2024, the Rhysida gang, asserted that it targeted the Lutheran World Federation, a key member of the WCC. The ransom demanded by Rhysida for the stolen information from the Lutheran group is 6 bitcoin, approximately $280,000, with a deadline for release set at seven days.
