Olympus Confirms Second Cyberattack Disrupts Americas IT Systems
Technology giant Olympus shuts down IT systems across the Americas following a weekend cybersecurity incident that closely mirrors a previous ransomware attack.
Japanese technology giant Olympus confirms it is dealing with a cybersecurity incident that forces the company to shut down its IT systems in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. The company states it detects the issue on October 10 and immediately suspends affected systems to contain the threat. Olympus assures customers that the current investigation indicates the incident remains isolated to the Americas with no known impact on other regions.
This latest event closely mirrors a cyberattack that hits the Olympus network in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa just weeks prior. A source familiar with the previous incident reveals that the company suffers a ransomware attack, with a ransom note linking the breach to the BlackMatter ransomware-as-a-service group. Because this new attack occurs over the weekend, experts note that the timing strongly increases the likelihood of another ransomware deployment.
Olympus states it is working closely with third-party experts to resolve the situation safely and maintain the trust of its business partners. Security analysts suggest it is entirely possible that the same BlackMatter affiliate targets the company again, though the attackers could potentially use a different ransomware strain this time. The company promises to provide transparent updates as the ongoing investigation uncovers new information about the scope of the breach.