Boeing Cyber ​​Attack: Protecting Assets from Digital Crime

Boeing admitted it fell victim to a cyber incident earlier this week that affected parts of its distribution business.

The organization, which is one of the world’s largest defense and space contractors, acknowledged the attack and said it was currently investigating with law enforcement.

Days earlier, the Lockbit cybercrime gang stated that it had stolen large amounts of sensitive data from Boeing in a ransom attack, and said it would publish the content online if Boeing did not pay by November 2, 2023.

According to TechCrunch, paying ransoms to sanctioned hacking groups and ransomware gangs may violate the law in the United States.

Ransomware orchestrated by large gangs leaves even the largest businesses vulnerable

“This issue does not affect flight safety,” a Boeing spokesman told Reuters. “We are actively investigating the incident and coordinating with law enforcement and regulatory authorities. We are notifying our customers and suppliers.”

Last year, Lockbit was one of the most active global ransomware groups based on the number of victims, affecting 1,700 US organizations since 2020, according to the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA).

The hacking group typically deploys ransomware on a victim organization’s system to shut it down, as well as steal sensitive data for blackmail.

It is currently unclear what data Lockbit may have stolen from Boeing. As an aerospace and manufacturing industry leader with government connections, it’s easy to see why Boeing is an attractive target for threat actors seeking access to sensitive information.

It will also inevitably have an impact on the company’s global supply chain and it will therefore be essential that Boeing can rectify the issue quickly.

Manufacturers must continue to invest in cybersecurity

These types of cyber attacks in the industry are on the rise, with manufacturers in particular keen to invest in more sophisticated cyber security measures. As manufacturing becomes more dependent on new technology, it is more important than ever for organizations to adopt stronger security measures to protect data.

Research from 2022 shows less than two-thirds (62%) of manufacturers have a formal cyber security plan in place – showing there is a long way to go.

James Dyer, Threat Intelligence Lead at Egress, says of the attack: “This incident is concerning not only because of its immediate threat, but also in terms of the fallout. With Boeing, the attackers use dual blackmail methods by threatening to expose or sell the data. Ultimately, the company and customers may now be at increased risk of increased phishing attacks using credentials compromised in the other initial attack – also known as Business Email Compromise (BEC).

“For example, in a supply chain, a single supplier being compromised can result in a large percentage of their customers being compromised as well; the military customers in Boeing’s supply chain undoubtedly make them a very attractive target. The attacker seizes this opportunity to leverage trusted relationships as an entry point and socially engineer their victims. The threat actor is likely to use highly pressured techniques on their victim, such as insisting on urgency and confidentiality or using the seniority of who they are impersonating.

He continues: “Often ransomware attacks give their victims 10 days to respond, but in this incident only 6 days were offered to increase the pressure.

“When an attack is presented in the guise of a trusted colleague or business partner, it is suddenly much more difficult to distinguish between a genuine and a malicious email. Organizations are then exposed to account takeover, data exfiltration and financial losses due to fraudulent payments.

“Employees need to be aware of the risk and how to put an action plan in place to not only understand why an email was flagged as dangerous, but also to identify compromise from a trusted source.”

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