Dish Network Confirms Ransomware Is to Blame for Ongoing Outage
Dish Network has confirmed that ransomware is to blame for a major outage at the satellite TV provider. In an SEC filing(Opens in a new window) on Tuesday, Dish Network officially attributed the outage to a “cyber security incident,” while also describing it as a ransomware attack.
The hackers behind the intrusion stole from the company’s internal systems. “It is possible the investigation will reveal that the extracted data includes personal information,” Dish says.
The company has notified law enforcement and hired security experts to help contain the breach and investigate the extent of the damage. However, Dish Network warns that the disruption continues to affect its “internal communications, customer call centers and internet sites.”
The good news is that the company’s satellite TV service, Sling TV, and wireless networks remain in operation, according to the SEC filing. However, some users on the outage tracking site Downdetector.com report(Opens in a new window) that problems persist with their satellite TV service.
Not helping the matter is that Dish’s customer support lines are down, making it difficult for subscribers to reach the company.
Dish is well aware of the issues. The company’s website now notes(Opens in a new window): “As a result of this incident, many of our customers are having trouble reaching our service desks, accessing their accounts, and making payments We’re making progress on the customer service front every day, including ramping up our call capacity, but it will take a little time before things are fully restored."
Dish didn’t elaborate on the attack, making it unclear which ransomware strain may have hit the company’s systems, or if it plans on paying up.
(Disclosure: Downdetector owne
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