A ransomware attack knocked out access to Garmin’s fitness and aviation navigation apps for several days. The initial attack was on July 23.
The hackers encrypted important company files and demanded a $10 million ransom from the company.
According to Garmin, “Many of our online services were interrupted including website functions, customer support, customer facing applications, and company communications. We immediately began to assess the nature of the attack and started remediation.”
To fight the attack, Garmin was forced to shut down all company computers.
It took several days for the system to get up at running. According to Garmin, they have no evidence that any customer data, including payment information, was accessed. Further, they said it does not appear any data was lost.
The company said it expected all products to return to normal operation. Garmin provides the infrastructure for important marine, aviation, and medical apps as well as popular consumer items.
Ransomware attacks most often get onto systems in the form of phishing attacks. Users are tricked into clicking on links that resemble legitimate websites and accidentally download the ransomware onto their devices.