Cybercrime saw a new high back in 2022 as major companies around the world fell short when trying to protect their data against various attacks. The bigger the company is, the higher the risk and major cable providers in the US witnessed that firsthand. It started with Cox Communications and now Dish Network.
Customers across the United States weren’t able to access any of the provider’s services, including its website and Dish Anywhere app. While this might seem like a technical problem, many experts suggest its a cyberattack.
That’s not all. Even the company’s call center phone numbers ceased to operate. So, what is this incident? Is it a technical problem or a cyberattack? We have everything you need in the following article.
Cybercriminals Strike Again – US Cable Providers in the Spotlight
As we mentioned, having a company with a big name will definitely earn a bullseye on its back. We’re not referring to competitors; we’re referring to cybercriminals.
The bigger the name is, the higher the customer number it has. In other words, the more data threat actors can harvest in a security breach.
Cox Communications fell victim to such data breaches in the past. Unfortunately, the threat actors didn’t stop there as they also used the cloud communications company – Twilio – in a phishing attack after compromising an employee’s credentials.
There seems to be something about communication companies in the US as Dish – the provider that has over 7.6 million pay TV subscribers – is not the latest victim of cyberattacks. Is it an attack, though?
The website was down, the Dish Anywhere application wasn’t operating, and customers faced authentication issues when they tried to login into TV channel apps via their Dish credentials.
The image above reflects the company’s website while the outage was still in place. The one below, however, represents its Dish Anywhere Android app while also experiencing connection issues.
That’s not all. Even the employees at Dish had their fair share of outages in their systems. Apparently, they weren’t able to access their work systems as well. Management notified them that there was a problem with the VPN login.
“Team, I am reaching out to you all today to let you know that we are experiencing large VPN issues this morning. Please stay tuned for further communication from me, as to when this hall be fixed.”
According to two sources, employees have been asked to stand by while still kept in the dark. They also have no idea whether they’re getting paid or not. And due to the VPN issue, remote workers at home cannot proceed with doing their job at the moment.
Yes! It’s a Cyberattack
When there’s doubt, ask someone on the inside. Apparently, a source contacted a Dish Network employee hoping to shed more light on the matter.
The answer came in the form of disclosure as employees did confirm a cyberattack. They stated that they saw blank icons on their screens. An incident that resembles that of a ransomware attack when it encrypts victims’ data.
Another employee contacted Bleeping Computer and stated that Dish had indeed been breached. A manager at the company informed the employee that the attack was caused by an outside bad actor, a known threat agent.
Bleeping Computer also attempted to contact the company via telephone, but Dish did not answer. Every single attempt came back in failure due to the system issues the company has been facing.
Dish is one of the biggest cable providers in the United States. If the threat actor behind the attack managed to harvest its data, a lot of damage could be done. Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that.
