Sangre de Cristo Electric Association Confirms Network Breach, Says Grid Was Unaffected
Summary
Sangre de Cristo Electric Association says a criminal group accessed a server with internal files in September. The breach temporarily disrupted bill-payment and phone services; the cooperative says member payment data and the electric grid were unaffected.
Key points
- SDCEA confirmed unauthorized access to its IT network in September, including a server storing internal files.
- The cooperative took IT servers offline, temporarily disrupting bill-payment and telephone services.
- SDCEA is still determining what information the threat actors obtained; it says member financial and payment information is not stored on the compromised local network.
- The cooperative says electric service and the grid were not affected.
- Cybersecurity and forensic specialists were brought in to investigate, and SDCEA says it has overhauled systems and strengthened security.
- SDCEA advised members to watch for fraudulent calls, emails, or texts posing as the cooperative.
Article Details
- Victim Organization
- Sangre de Cristo Electric Association
- Victim Domain
- myelectric.coop
- Incident Type
- Unauthorized access to the IT network and an internal file server
- Data Types Exposed
- Internal files; specific information accessed or taken is still being determined
- Operational Impact
- SDCEA took IT servers offline, temporarily disrupting bill-payment and telephone services. The cooperative said electric service and the grid were not affected.
- Ransom Or Extortion
- No ransom or extortion activity was reported.
- Claim Status
- confirmed