Encino Energy claims ‘no impact’ from ALPHV ransomware attack

Major U.S. private natural gas and oil producer Encino Energy has disclosed that its operations were not impacted by a cyberattack, which it has already remediated, days after it was added by the ALPHV ransomware operation, also known as BlackCat, to its data leak site, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. ALPHV had exposed 400 GB of data claimed to be stolen from Encino Energy, which is Ohio's primary oil producer, but company spokesperson Jackie Stewart refused to confirm the nature of the cyberattack and whether the demanded ransom was paid, as well as the veracity of the data leaked by the ransomware group. Such an attack against Encino Energy comes after the ransomware gang's intrusions against two Luxembourg-based energy firms, as well as German oil companies Mabanaft and Oiltanking. ALPHV has been noted by Dragos to be the fourth-most pervasive threat group targeting the industrial sector last year.