Hackers demand millions in ransom for stolen Stadler Rail documents
Stadler is unwilling to negotiate with the hackers.
Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller
The hackers who stole data from Swiss train manufacturer Stadler Rail in early May have demanded payment of a ransom of $6 million (CHF 5.8 million) in Bitcoin.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ac
“Stadler is not and has never been willing to make payments to blackmailers and has not entered into negotiations,” a spokesman for the company told press agency AWP on Friday, confirming a report in the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper.
When faced with the company’s refusal to negotiate, the hackers published some of the stolen documents on the internet. A cache of internal Stadler documents was shared via an anonymous Twitter message.
According to the message on the social network, accompanied by images, the perpetrators of the attack claim to have no less than 10,000 documents representing a data volume of 4 gigabits. The blackmailers gave Stadler a second chance to pay the ransom “before the publication of Part 2″.
According to the Tages-Anzeiger paper, the images published concern documents relating to loans and bank contracts as well as a tax agreement with the canton of Thurgau and a construction project in Altenrhein. However, the stolen data appears to be old documents.
Stadler Rail revealed that it has initiated criminal proceedings and is cooperating with all the relevant authorities. At the beginning of May, the company’s internal monitoring service had found that the computer network had been attacked.
Other cyberattacks
Around two weeks ago Swiss academic establishments were also victims of a separate cyberattack that targeted several research institutions in Europe. The attackers targeted supercomputers at leading Swiss research centres including the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology in Zurich and Lausanne, as well as the University of Basel and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre in Lugano.
The intrusion is being investigated by the Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance (MELANI) commissioned by the government to protect critical infrastructures in Switzerland.
More
More
Swiss Covid-19 contact tracing app ready for privacy testing
This content was published on
Authorities have released the source code of the SwissCovid app to the public to allow experts and hackers to detect any risks to privacy.
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
Trains resume service to Swiss ski resort Zermatt after heavy snowfall
This content was published on
Zermatt can once again be reached by train starting Saturday afternoon. The Alpine holiday resort was inaccessible by land for some time after heavy snowfall last Thursday.
Authorities urge vigilance after heavy snowfall in southern Switzerland
This content was published on
Vigilance remains the order of the day in the southern canton of Valais, despite a stable situation after heavy snow on Thursday, authorities said on Saturday.
Switzerland won’t be spared drug violence: criminal police head
This content was published on
It is only a matter of time before Switzerland, like other countries in Europe, experiences an escalation in drug-related violence, says the head of the Federal Criminal Police.
Handful of Swiss Easter processions take place after inclement weather
This content was published on
Traditional Good Friday processions continue to take place in some municipalities in Switzerland. In Romont, canton Fribourg, for example, the "Pleureuses" marched through the streets.
Great St. Bernard pass between Switzerland and Italy closed due to avalanche
This content was published on
An avalanche forced the closure of the Great St. Bernard pass between Switzerland and Italy on Thursday. The route remains closed to Easter traffic.
‘Pressure will increase on Switzerland to invest more in defence’
This content was published on
Markus Mäder, Switzerland's state secretary for security policy, believes that more cooperation is needed in order to strengthen defence in Europe.
Just one in five Swiss attend a religious service at Easter
This content was published on
Only one in five people in Switzerland attend a religious service during the Easter period or give up meat or alcohol for at least one day of fasting. Around 25% of those polled see Easter primarily as a family holiday, according to the survey.
Major road disruptions continue after heavy snowfall in parts of Switzerland
This content was published on
The snowfall has ended in the southern Swiss canton of Valais, the cantonal emergency services said on Friday. Several roads, however, remain closed.
Swiss businessman gets prison term for asbestos deaths
This content was published on
Stephan Schmidheiny has been sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison by the Turin Court of Appeal in a case against the former Eternit executive over deaths linked to asbestos exposure in Italy.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
Opinion
More
What Switzerland should consider when tracking cyber incidents
This content was published on
Swiss attorney Florian Roth offers perspective on what the Swiss legislator still needs to answer to track and respond to cyber incidents.
Under-pressure Swiss Railways focuses on cybersecurity
This content was published on
A railway spokesperson told the German-language newspaper that the railway’s computer system is exposed to hacker attacks almost daily. Large companies have multiple entry points that can be exploited by hackers, notes the newspaper. Sometimes internet bandits use malware to block a computer network and try to extort money. Sometimes they send emails with malicious code and…
Hackers uncover ‘significant’ flaw in Swiss Post e-voting
This content was published on
Hackers reported a major bug in the new Swiss Post’s e-voting system as part of a public intrusion test. Swiss Post has resolved the issue.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.