Egregor ransomware attacked largest Chilian retailer Cencosud

Egregor ransomware attacked Cencosud
Written by Emma Davis

Bleeping Computer reports that the Egregor ransomware attacked the Chilean company Cencosud, one of the largest retailers in South America.

Let me remind you that Egregor began its activity quite recently – in early September, shortly after the operators of the Maze ransomware announced cessation of their operations.

According to experts, the Maze, Egregor and Sekhmet ransomware are essentially one and the same thing, and the same people are behind all these malwares.

In just two months of activity, Egregor has already managed to attack the largest game developers (Ubisoft and Crytek), as well as the largest bookstore chain in the United States (Barnes & Noble).

The Cencosud incident took place over the weekend and had a significant impact on the company’s operations: malware encrypted devices in almost all Cencosud stores.

Retail stores are still operating, but with restrictions. For example, in the Easy store in Buenos Aires, there is a notice that warns visitors that due to technical reasons, the store temporarily does not accept Cencosud Cards, returns, and cannot issue online orders. reports Calrin, the Argentinean media.

Clarín also writes that many printers in stores in Chile and Argentina began to print ransom notes. This feature is a well-known feature of Egregor: after finishing encryption, the malware automatically prints the ransomware messages on any available printers. If a large company’s network was attacked, it could result in thousands of such flyers being printed.

Bleeping Computer got the same ransom note, and the publication confirms that Egregor attacked the Windows domain of Cencosud.

The extortionists write that they stole these companies and threaten to disclose them if they do not receive a ransom. Although the hackers do not provide any references to the stolen information and proof of their words, journalists note that usually Egregor operators really steal company data before encryption begins.

Egregor ransomware attacked Cencosud
Cencosud is one of the largest retailers in South America with over $15 million profit last year. The company employs more than 140,000 employees. Cencosud owns large chain stores in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru.

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About the author

Emma Davis

I'm writer and content manager (a short time ago completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the Gustavus Adolphus College). For now, I have a deep drive to study cyber security.

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