"Play Ransomware Gang Hit Dutch Shipping Firm Royal Dirkzwager"

The Play ransomware group has targeted Royal Dirkzwager, a Dutch company specializing in optimizing shipping processes and managing maritime and logistic information flows. The ransomware group added the company to its Tor data leak site and announced that it stole personal data, employee IDs, passports, contracts, and other information. The group posted a 5 GB archive as evidence of the attack, threatening to leak the entire dump if the company does not pay the demanded ransom. Royal Dirkzwager CEO Joan Blaas stated that the ransomware attack had no effect on the company's operations but confirmed that the malicious actors stole critical information from the organization's infrastructure. The company informed the Dutch Data Protection Authority and said it is negotiating with the ransomware gang. Since July 2022, the Play ransomware gang has been active, targeting the City of Oakland, the Cloud services company Rackspace, and more. Cybercrime groups consider the shipping industry a lucrative target. In January, around 1,000 vessels were affected by a ransomware attack on DNV, one of the largest maritime software providers. This article continues to discuss the Play ransomware attack against the Dutch maritime logistics company Royal Dirkzwager and the targeting of the shipping industry by cybercriminals. 

Security Affairs reports "Play Ransomware Gang Hit Dutch Shipping Firm Royal Dirkzwager"