Attack on Oakland City attributed to Play Ransomware

Oakland recently became the victim of a ransomware attack that disrupted the city’s services and caused a state of emergency to be declared by the city. Cyberattacks are a real-world problem with real-world consequences and the recent attack on Oakland is a demonstration of the same. 

As shared on Twitter by cybersecurity analyst Dominic Alvieri, a security researcher, it appears that an attack on a cryptosystem was the work of the Play Ransomware gang. 

The Play Ransomware operation, also known as PlayCrypt, was launched in June 2022 and has been in operation for some time. The software not only adds the .play extension to the encrypted files but also leaves a note explaining how to contact the developers via email. 

As one of the most populous cities in the San Francisco Bay Area, Oakland has a population of over 440,000 people. It is located on the east side of the county. There is a great deal of economic and trade activity happening in this city, which is also the regional commercial center. 

The city’s authorities informed the public that it had been targeted by a ransomware attack on February 10, 2023. It impacted all network systems except 911 dispatch, fire and emergency services, and city financial systems. 

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