Skip to main content

Ohio lottery hit by serious ransomware attack forcing some system shutdowns

The Ohio Lottery apperas to have suffered a ransomware attack which forced it to shut some of its systems down and also allegedly lost sensitive data on millions of its users. 

On December 24, the company issued a press release claiming to have suffered a “cybersecurity incident” that resulted in the shutdown of “some of its internal applications”. 

An investigation is already underway, but the gaming system remains “fully operational”, the company confirmed.

Selling the access

However, mobile cashing, as well as prize cashing above $599 at Super Retailers, are currently not available. “The Lottery will notify the public once these services resume. In the interim, prize claims can still be mailed to the Ohio Lottery Central Office,” the press announcement reads. 

What’s more, winning numbers for KENO, Lucky One, and EZPLAY Progressive Jackpots are also not available on the company website or mobile app. Users can check the results at any Ohio Lottery Retailer, the company said.

The company did not share any details about the threat actors, their methods, or demands, but BleepingComputer has. In its writeup, the publication says DragonForce has claimed responsibility for the attack. This is a relatively new and unknown entrant in the ransomware space.

"More than 3,000,000+ entries, first name, last name, mail, addresses, winning amounts! SSN + DOB records of employees and players,” the group was cited as saying on a dark web page. “The total weight of the leak when unpacked is about 600+ gigabytes." 

For hackers, stealing sensitive identity data from a lottery company is the same as hitting the jackpot (pun definitely intended). Personal data is often used for phishing attacks. These emails typically carry a sense of urgency, which can deter victims from thinking things through before acting. Ohio Lottery players should exercise caution when receiving email messages claiming they have won a grand prize.

More from TechRadar Pro



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The latest Apple TV 4K test lets you watch four sports streams at once

Apple is trying something new with the latest beta version of tvOS 16.5: the option to watch up to four simultaneous streams at once. Right now it's limited to live sports streamed through the Apple TV app on the Apple TV 4K , specifically MLB Friday Night Baseball and the MLS Season Pass. A multi-view option was spotted in the tvOS software last month, but the code was hidden and not enabled. MacRumors reported that the feature would be enabled this weekend, and beta testers have since been able to use it. As yet multi-view hasn't been officially announced by Apple, but it's expected that tvOS 16.5 is going to be pushed out in its final form within the next month or so. WWDC 2023 is around the corner as well, when we should be hearing about the next major updates for Apple's various operating systems – including tvOS 17. How it works Over at 9to5Mac there's a hands-on demonstrating how the multi-view feature works, and it's pretty much as you would expe...
Post a Comment
Read more

TechRadar's Year in Review: AI revolution, smartphone evolution, and visions of the future

If I had to sum up 2023 in one word it would be AI. Okay, technically that’s two initials, but let’s not quibble – because there’s no doubt that it provided the year in tech with its main story arc. Artificial intelligence was everywhere this year, as every company in the world gawped at the massive impact of ChatGPT, and decided they wanted to jump aboard that bandwagon. You could barely move for new chatbots, new image generators, and new AI-enhanced features in every device released in 2023. And there’s no sign of that changing in 2024; in fact, we expect it to be an even bigger deal. Elsewhere, phones and laptops did much the same as they had the previous year – well, except where they had new AI-enhanced features – so it was in the virtual reality space where bigger changes were afoot. If the Meta Quest 3 was impressive then the Apple Vision Pro looks to be genuinely game-changing, and we can’t wait to see what impact it has in the next 12 months. Of course we also saw plenty ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Garmin's new radar-equipped tail light will keep you safe on your e-bike

Garmin's Varia bike radars are some of the most popular pieces of cycling tech around – and now the company has delivered its first rearview radar to have been specially designed for some of the best e-Bikes .   Garmin's Varia range mounts to the back of your bike and broadcasts a radar signal behind you, so you can get visual and audible alerts when something's overtaking you. Even better, the new Varia eRTL615 plugs directly into most e-bikes, with no battery required. Because the catchily-named Varia eRTL615 is also a tail light, it'll also make sure you're visible to other vehicles too, promising to emit a flashing or solid light that's visible from up to a mile away in daylight. To connect Garmin's new radar tail light to your e-bike, you'll need to pick the right Garmin adapter cable (which isn't included). You can buy power cables compatible with Bosch, Shimano, or USB-A terminals or connections, with more info on those available on Garmin...
Post a Comment
Read more