Olympus frapp par le ransomware BlackMatter

It is well known, nature abhors a vacuum. Hardly a cybergang operating behind a ransomware disappears, the latter is quickly replaced by another. Lately, the malicious operator behind Darkside announced it was shutting down, and a few days ago it was around Revil to supposedly retire. The BlackMatter ransomware targeting large companies has cracked for a few weeks and has caught a big fish: Olympus.

“Upon detection of suspicious activity, we immediately mobilized a specialized response team including forensics experts, and we are currently working with the highest priority to resolve this issue. As part of the investigation, we suspended data transfers in the affected systems and informed the affected external partners, ”the Japanese company said in a brief statement.

Already more than 40 victims of BlackMatter

The nature of the ransomware has not been officially confirmed, but according to Brett Callow, cyber threat expert at Emsisoft, Olympus has been affected by BlackMatter. This group, although recent, is not at its first attempt since it has already more than forty victims to its credit.

A century-old company (1919), Olympus specializes in precision equipment for laboratories and healthcare (microscopes, endoscopic systems, etc.) and is also known for its cameras. As of March 31, 2021, the group had 31,653 employees and achieved a turnover of 5.62 billion euros.