"Cybercrime Groups Find a New Target: Religious Institutions"

Two well-known hacking groups have claimed responsibility for recent attacks on religious organizations, which is a departure from their usual focus on businesses and government agencies. The infamous LockBit ransomware group has added Relentless Church to its list of victims, alleging to have stolen employee information, including passports and financial documents. The South Carolina-based evangelical megachurch has over 15,000 members and more than 100,000 online viewers during streamed services. The data extortion group Karakurt claimed responsibility for an attack on Our Sunday Visitor, a Catholic publishing company that writes newsletters, religious books, pamphlets, and more. The organization was founded in 1912 and has grown from a parish news bulletin to a publisher of a wide variety of content for Catholics. Karakurt hackers claimed to have stolen 130 GB of data, including accounting documents, human resources information, employee data, financial contracts, invoices, and more. Several experts have noted that it was uncommon for hackers to target religious institutions, citing examples in which groups have expelled members for targeting such organizations deemed off-limits. This article continues to discuss the LockBit ransomware group and the data extortion group Karakurt claiming recent attacks on religious organizations. 

The Record reports "Cybercrime Groups Find a New Target: Religious Institutions"