Ransomware attack disrupts major Canadian copper mine

Major Canadian copper mine Copper Mountain Mining Corporation had its corporate and mine IT systems compromised by a ransomware attack on Dec. 27, prompting mill shutdowns and the use of manual processes, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. While risks associated with the attack are still under investigation by the company's external and internal IT teams, Copper Mountain noted that the attack did not result in any safety or environmental incidents and that more safeguards for its data are underway. "Copper Mountain is investigating the source of the attack and is in contact with the relevant authorities," said the company. Industrial systems have been an attractive target for ransomware attacks in 2022, with manufacturing organizations' systems being subjected to 86 attacks, according to a Dragos study. The attack on Copper Mountain also follows an October cyberattack against Aurubis, the world's second-largest copper producer, which Aurubis noted to "apparently be part of a larger attack on the metals and mining industry."