Ransomware attackers demand $400,000 from Swiss website
The comparis website was disabled by ransomware attackers.
swissinfo.ch
A popular Swiss price comparison website has been shut down by ransomware attackers demanding $400,000 (CHF370,000) in cryptocurrencies to put it back online.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
Comparis.ch, which racks up around 80 million visits a year, is used by consumers to compare prices on the likes of insurance and mortgage deals. The attack started on Wednesday and by Thursday had shut down the website, although the company said in a statement that it believed that no customer data was breached.
* By Friday, after this article was first published, Comparis said the website was back in operation. A Comparis spokesman told SWI swissinfo.ch that no ransom was paid.
The identity or location of the cyber attacker is not known and the ransom demand took the form of a URL implanted in a secure area of the IT system.
Ransomware attacks appear to be getting more frequent and with greater success worldwide.
High profile cases have also been making headlines: for example, when thousands of companies worldwide, including a supermarket chain in Sweden, were paralysed by a recent attack on United States IT services provider Kaseya.
US oil and gas company Colonial Pipeline was hit in May and had to pay a bitcoin ransom to get supplies back online, although the FBI said it had since recovered most of the cryptocurrency that was paid.
Last month, the world’s largest meat processor, JBL, faced major disruption to its operations before paying a ransom demand.
In Switzerland, rail company Stadler was attacked last year and suffered confidential data being made public because it refused to pay up.
Has your continent reached its peak or is there still potential for economic growth?
Some regions of the world are on an upward trajectory with the promise of a steadily improving future. Where do you live? And in which direction is your region or continent developing?
This content was published on
Flight safety is reduced by the clogging of airspace, says Thomas Steffen, a pilot for Swiss and head of safety at Aeropers, the industry association.
Malaysian artist Yee I-Lann holds first major European exhibition in Thun
This content was published on
Das Kunstmuseum Thun richtet im August die erste grössere Europaausstellung der malaysischen Künstlerin Yee I-Lann aus. Darin werden Einflüsse des Kolonialismus aber auch das Fortbestehen des indigenen Erbes thematisiert.
Data from Swiss health foundation Radix leaked on the dark web
This content was published on
After the cyber attack suffered by the Radix foundation at the end of last month, sensitive personal data such as names and debts of people banned from casinos were published on the Darknet.
This content was published on
Companies with an externally validated net-zero target emit less CO2 than those without a climate target. This is the conclusion of a new analysis by the US financial services provider MSCI.
This content was published on
Swiss companies are increasingly being targeted by cyber criminals. In the past quarter, every single company in this country was the target of a cyber attack an average of 1097 times a week.
Swiss households faced 21 minutes of power outages in 2024
This content was published on
End customers experienced an average of 21 minutes of electricity interruption in 2024. This resulted in 0.34 power outages per capita. The duration of electricity interruptions increased by three minutes compared to the previous year.
Swiss citizens will be voting on restricting wind farm expansion
This content was published on
On Friday, the Association for the Protection of Nature and Democracy submitted two initiatives aimed at curbing the expansion of wind farms. More than 110,000 signatures have been collected.
E-bike riders regularly break speed limit in residential areas
This content was published on
Fast e-bikes regularly exceed the speed limit in residential areas. According to a new study with data on cyclists in Zurich, they regularly reach speeds of over 30 km/h.
This content was published on
Swiss small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are struggling to find staff, a problem made more acute by the increased bargaining power of employees and increased absenteeism.
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
More
Swiss electricity grid vulnerable to cyberattack
This content was published on
Swiss electricity providers are vulnerable to a Colonial Pipeline style ransomware attacks, says an energy ministry report.
Hackers demand millions in ransom for stolen Stadler Rail documents
This content was published on
The hackers who stole data from Swiss train manufacturer Stadler Rail in early May have demanded payment of a ransom of $6 million in Bitcoin.
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.