Mon 02 August 2021:
Authorities in Italy say a cyber gang launched a huge ransomware attack, shutting down an official website for booking Covid-19 vaccinations and endangering national security.
The website of Lazio, the region of Rome, was unavailable for several hours on Sunday, the municipality confirmed on social media.
The powerful hacker attack, described as the biggest in the country’s history, was announced on Sunday and targeted the IT systems of the company that manages Covid-19 vaccination appointments for the Lazio region, the regional government said.
Hackers are stealing millions of medical records in the region, and according to media reports, those records allegedly include healthcare data from the highest representatives of the government and the state, with most of them living in Rome, in the Lazio Region.
“A powerful hacker attack on the region’s CED (database) is under way,” the region said in a Facebook posting. “All defence and verification operations are underway to avoid the possibility of the cut in services.”
Hackers have allegedly asked for ransom payments of thousands or millions in bitcoin, as the exact sum was not revealed yet.
Prosecutors in Rome have launched an investigation and according to la Repubblica authorities cannot exclude no-vax groups could be behind the attack.
According to media reports, the cyber attack was launched from Germany.
“It is a very powerful hacker attack, very serious… everything is out. The whole regional CED is under attack,” Lazio region’s health manager Alessio D’Amato told Reuters.
The President of the region, Nicola Zingaretti, reported that Lazio had still vaccinated 70% of its adult population on Sunday, despite the cyberattack.
“Thanks to the citizens of Lazio for the cooperation they have shown since the beginning of the pandemic,” Zingaretti said on Facebook.
“With pride and determination let’s not stop,” he added.
Italy announced that proof of vaccination or immunity from COVID-19 would become mandatory to access gyms, restaurants and bars, triggering a series of protests across the country.
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