Shell and Philips hit by Russian ransomware attack

A hacking group called Cl0p has claimed responsibility for a large-scale data theft from more than 40 companies globally, including well-known brands like Philips, Shell, Fiserv, and GE. The group exploited software vulnerabilities to target multiple entities simultaneously. Philips revealed that it had been targeted by Cl0p, stating that it had identified and contained an attempted cyber compromise of a specific enterprise server related to internal data.

The company assured that the incident does not affect customer environments. Shell also acknowledged being aware of a potential incident and is working with security teams to investigate the situation. Fiserv stated that it has found no evidence of any customer, banking, transaction, or personal data compromise, nor any impact on its operating environment.

GE acknowledged the claim and initiated its cyber response protocols to assess the potential issue. Reuters could not independently verify the hacking group’s claims regarding the kind of data stolen and the quantity involved. The hacking group did not respond to a request for comment. While the exact method of accessing the companies remains unclear, Ransom-ISAC, an industry information sharing group, warned on July 22 that Cl0p was exploiting vulnerabilities in PTC Windchill and FlexPLM, software commonly used for engineering and manufacturing processes.

PTC has released multiple security notices urging customers to apply a patch for a vulnerability and shared details about an unnamed attacker targeting its products.