• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Jobs
  • Career
    • Cyber Security Training
    • Work from Home
    • Cyber Security Analyst
    • Remote Work – Six Ways to Keep Your Data Safe When Working Remotely
  • Field Guide
  • Newsletter Signup
  • Deals
  • News
AskCyberSecurity.com

AskCyberSecurity.com

Cyber Security News & Information

  • Home
  • Data Privacy
    • Gamers
    • Government Cyber Security
      • Legislation
      • Standards
        • What are the risks of computer security?
        • Medical Cyber Security
    • Social Media
  • Security
    • Data Breaches
    • Scams
    • Malware
  • Software
    • Apps
    • Web Browsers
  • Glossary
    • Cyber Security Acronyms
  • About Ask Cyber Security
    • Authors
    • Contact Us
  • VPN
    • How Do I Know If My VPN is Working?
    • Best Free VPN iPhone
    • Why Use a VPN?
    • NordVPN vs IPVanish
    • Private Internet Access Download
    • Best VPN for Streaming
      • TikTok VPN
    • VPN Porn
    • Computer Security Software – What You Really Need
  • Tutorials
AskCyber Home » News » News » Garmin Took Ransomware Decryption Keys

Garmin Took Ransomware Decryption Keys

2020-08-03 by Michelle Dvorak

Garmin Ransomware- Decryption Keys

Fitness Tech Company Garmin Probably Paid for WastedLocker Ransomware Decryption Keys

Garmin International received the decryption keys to WastedLocker ransomware. Although the fitness tech company has remained largely silent about the nature of the cyberattack, it appears they have paid a ransom to obtain the decryption keys and regain control of their IT systems.

On July 23rd Garman services were crippled due to a widespread outage. Users were unable to upload data or update maps. The company website stated it was undergoing server maintenance. The outage crippled the Garmin Connect website and navigation devices including fitness trackers and aviation maps. The company initially posted a notice on their website stating they had a server maintenance issue. During the outage, the company was unable to take customer service calls, respond to emails, or even use online chat to support customers. The outage also affected Garman.com and Garmin Connect.

Did Garmin Pay the Ransom?

Garmin likely paid the $10 million USD ransom for the decryption keys for WastedLocker ransomware. If they did pay up, it was probably in the order of a seven-figure price tag as WastedLocker is known for its expensive ransom demands. Evil Corp typically averages about $10 million USD per attack. There is no known mitigation for this highly effective ransomware attack.

The company made one of the first GPS enabled fitness watches as well as portable GPS devices used in automobile navigation. They now have a variety of cloud-based services that allow people to track and map outdoor activities like walking, running, canoeing, hiking, and camping.

WastedLocker Ransomware

WastedLocker is a ransomware used by a group of threat actors, known as Evil Corp, to attack organizations. WastedLocker is known for the high ransom demanded by Evil Corp once a system is successfully attacked. Before Garmin announced that it had been the victim f a ransomware attack, employees with knowledge of the attack had posted some information on Reddit offering insight into the real problem that was crippling operations.

After their outage dragged on to its fourth day, Garmin finally issued a statement confirming it was the victim of a cyberattack that had encrypted some of its IT systems. Garmin has still never admitted that the attack was the work of Evil Corp or WastedLocker.

It is reported that Garmin used Arete IR to broker the ransom payment transaction.

Their latest Twitter update, dated 27 July, says, “We are happy to report that many of the systems and services affected by the recent outage, including Garmin Connect, are returning to operation. Some features still have temporary limitations while all of the data is being processed.” However, not all systems are running yet.

Ransomware Decryption Keys

When a computer or IT network is attacked by ransomware, the decryption keys are needed to mitigate the attack and decrypt the files to get the system running again. Alternatively, if you could start anew from a backup if you are sure that your backup is not impacted by the same ransomware.

A post on Bleeping Computer claims that they confirmed that Garmin received the decryption keys to recover their files encrypted by WastedLocker Ransomware. Garmin has not commented on this statement.

US Sanction Against Evil Corp

The US Treasury Department sanctioned Evil Corp last December. This means US based companies like Garmin are prohibited from doing business with them including paying them for services. Evil Corp  was accused of working with Russian intelligence to steal classified government documents. Sanctions from the US Treasury target 17 individuals and seven entities tied to Evil Corp.

Sanctions still apply even if the company is paying a ransom to gain control of their own systems unless the FBI was notified.

Garmin is still recovering from the attack. Their status update page states that some services are still limited.

Here’s our list of the best antivirus services available.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Evil Corp, ransomware, WastedLocker

About Michelle Dvorak

Michelle writes about cyber security, data privacy focusing on social media privacy as well as how to protect your IoT devices. She has worked in internet technology for over 20 years and owns METRONY, LLC. Michelle earned a B.S. in Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Michelle published a guide to Cyber Security for Business Travelers


LinkedInTwitterFacebook

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Our Free Newsletter

We Don't Share or Sell Your Info

Web Browsers

Where Are My Saved Passwords in Chrome?

Google Removes 70 Malicious Browser Add-ons from Chrome Web Store

Firefox 75 Reports Your Browser Settings to Mozilla

Categories

Cyber Security Field Guide

Computer Security While TravelingGet Our Cyber Security Field Guide - Available on Amazon!

Recent Posts

Security Marketing Manager – Remote

Sr. Associate, Cybersecurity Architect – Pfizer

Strategic Customer Success Manager – Cybersecurity – Opportunity for Working Remotely

Top 20 Passwords Leaked on Dark Web

ISU Cybersecurity Leader Job Opening

Cyber Security News

Top 20 Passwords Leaked on Dark Web

… [Read More...] about Top 20 Passwords Leaked on Dark Web

Apple Warns of Actively Exploited Zero-Day Flaw

… [Read More...] about Apple Warns of Actively Exploited Zero-Day Flaw

IRS Stops Facial Recognition System for Online Access

… [Read More...] about IRS Stops Facial Recognition System for Online Access

National Cybersecurity Alliance Announces Data Privacy Week

… [Read More...] about National Cybersecurity Alliance Announces Data Privacy Week

More Cyber Security News

Tags

amazon Android Apple bitcoin China chrome CISA credit card DarkSide DHS DOJ Equifax Europe Facebook facial recognition FBI Firefox FTC games GDPR Google Government hacker identity theft India iPhone Iran IRS LinkedIn Microsoft North Korea PayPal phishing phishing email ransomware REvil Russia smartphone T-Mobile TikTok tutorial VPN WhatsApp WiFi Windows

Government

CBP Looks to Access Airline Passenger Data

FTC Releases Cyber Threat Video Playlist

Malware Found on US Government Funded Phones

UK NCA Reaches Out to Youth to Deter Cybercrimes

More Posts from this Category

Footer

Menu

  • Home
  • About
  • Authors
  • Newsletter Signup
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Search

Why Use a VPN?

NordVPN vs IPVanish VPN Review

NAVIGATION

  • Data Breaches
  • Data Privacy
  • Gamers
  • Scams
  • Malware

MEMBER NJCCIC

New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell

STAY CONNECTED

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • RSS

Copyright © 2023 · AskCyberSecurity.com · METRONY, LLC

Go to mobile version