One sentence summary – ORBCOMM, a trucking and fleet management solutions provider, has confirmed a recent ransomware attack that has caused service outages, disrupting the ability of trucking companies to manage their fleets and track transported assets, raising concerns about compliance with federal safety regulations; meanwhile, Greater Manchester Police in the UK has also experienced a ransomware attack compromising the personal information of some employees, following similar breaches at the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Metropolitan Police.
At a glance
- ORBCOMM has confirmed a recent ransomware attack
- The attack has caused service outages and disrupted trucking companies’ ability to manage fleets and track assets
- ORBCOMM’s services include Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) used by truckers to log their hours
- Truckers have had to resort to paper logs, raising concerns about their ability to drive without a waiver
- ORBCOMM aims to restore services by September 29th and has engaged external cybersecurity experts to investigate the attack
The details
ORBCOMM, a provider of trucking and fleet management solutions, has confirmed a recent ransomware attack.
This attack is responsible for the service outages experienced by the company.
The attack has disrupted the ability of trucking companies to manage their fleets and track transported assets.
ORBCOMM’s services include Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) used by truckers to log their hours.
These devices ensure compliance with federal safety regulations.
Since September 6th, customers have reported issues with tracking their transported inventory.
Customers have also reported problems with using Blue Tree ELD devices.
As a result, truckers have had to resort to paper logs.
However, truckers can only use paper logs for eight days out of every 30.
This limitation raises concerns about their ability to drive their trucks without a waiver.
ORBCOMM has not disclosed the exact cause of the outage.
The company aims to restore services by September 29th.
The ransomware attack took place on September 6th.
It affected ORBCOMM’s FleetManager platform and Blue Tree product line.
In response to the attack, ORBCOMM has engaged external cybersecurity experts.
These experts are investigating the attack.
The attack has impacted some of the largest freight transportation companies in the United States.
Other systems and service offerings of ORBCOMM remain operational.
The US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a waiver in response to the situation.
This waiver allows the use of paper logs until services are restored or by September 29th.
ORBCOMM sent an email to all customers on September 7th.
This email notified them of the ransomware attack.
BleepingComputer is accepting confidential information regarding this or other attacks via Signal at 646-961-3731.
In other news, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in the United Kingdom has also experienced a ransomware attack.
This attack compromised the personal information of some employees.
The attack was carried out by a third-party supplier.
This supplier provides services to GMP and other UK organizations.
GMP has confirmed that the hacked systems do not contain employees’ financial information.
The specific details of the compromised information have not been disclosed.
GMP has reported the incident to the Information Commissioners Office.
The police force is actively working to keep employees informed and supported.
The ransomware attack and data breach are being treated as a national-level criminal investigation.
This incident follows a similar breach at the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
In the PSNI breach, personally identifiable information (PII), ranks, and locations of 10,000 police officers were exposed.
The Metropolitan Police (Met) also experienced a breach.
In the Met breach, names, ranks, photos, vetting levels, and pay numbers for 47,000 police officers and staff were exposed.
The third-party supplier affected in the Met incident was identified as ‘Digital ID,’ a Stockport-based ID card and access pass maker.
It is possible that the GMP breach is connected to the Digital ID incident.
Other UK police departments are advised to remain vigilant as similar data breaches may occur in the future.
The information provided is based on the available facts and sources.
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– ORBCOMM, a trucking and fleet management solutions provider, has confirmed that a ransomware attack is the cause of recent service outages. – |
The attack has prevented trucking companies from managing their fleets and tracking transported assets. – ORBCOMM provides Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) that truckers use to log their hours to comply with federal safety regulations. – Since September 6th, customers have reported being unable to track their transported inventory or use Blue Tree ELD devices, leading truckers to switch to paper logs. |
– Truckers can only use paper logs for eight days out of every 30, raising concerns about their ability to drive their trucks without a waiver. – ORBCOMM has not shared the cause of the outage but has stated that they hope to restore services by September 29th. – |
The company confirmed that the ransomware attack occurred on September 6th and affected their FleetManager platform and Blue Tree product line. – ORBCOMM has retained external cybersecurity experts to investigate the attack. – Other systems and service offerings of ORBCOMM remain operational. – |
The US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a waiver allowing truckers to use paper logs until the service is restored or by September 29th. – |
The outage has impacted some of the largest freight transportation companies in the country. – |
The identity of the ransomware operation behind the attack is currently unknown. – |
An email was sent to all ORBCOMM customers on September 7th regarding the ransomware attack. |
– Confidential information on this attack or other attacks can be shared with BleepingComputer via Signal at 646-961-3731. |
bleepingcomputer.com |
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– Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in the United Kingdom has experienced a ransomware attack that impacted some employees’ personal information. – |
The attack was carried out by a third-party supplier that provides services to GMP and other organizations in the UK. – GMP does not believe that the hacked systems contain financial information belonging to its employees. – |
The specific details of the compromised information have not been disclosed. |
– GMP has contacted the Information Commissioners Office and is working to keep employees informed and supported. |
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The ransomware attack and data breach are being treated as a national-level criminal investigation. – |
This incident follows a similar breach at the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) where the personally identifiable information (PII), ranks, and location of 10,000 police officers were exposed. – |
The Metropolitan Police (Met) also experienced a breach where names, ranks, photos, vetting levels, and pay numbers for 47,000 police officers and staff were exposed. – |
The third-party supplier affected in the Met incident was later revealed to be ‘Digital ID,’ a Stockport-based ID card and access pass maker. |
– It is possible that the GMP breach is related to the Digital ID incident. |
– Other UK police departments may also announce similar data breaches in the future. |