Cybercrime Group Targets Lowell, Massachusetts in Latest Attack

“The cybercrime group that launched a devastating attack on the city of Oakland has taken credit for yet another breach of a local government — this time naming the Massachusetts city of Lowell as its latest victim. The city — home to more than 111,000 people and about a half hour drive from Boston — announced a “cyber-related incident” April 24 that disrupted its network and impacted “a variety of systems.” City officials said they decided to segment the affected technology but admitted that servers, networks, phones, and other systems throughout the city became inaccessible. The city’s 911, fire, and emergency phone systems were not affected by the attack.

Play Ransomware Group Claims Responsibility

On Wednesday evening, the Play ransomware group took credit for the attack, claiming to have stolen an undisclosed amount of data that includes personal data, passports, government IDs, financial documents, budgets, departmental files, and more. The gang said it would release the stolen data on May 10.”