Cyberattack: Systems still affected in Alouette 4 days later

Aluminerie Alouette asserts that major failures in computer systems are associated with unauthorized third party interference.

• Read also: Cyber ​​attack: Bridgestone tire plant in Joliet completely shut down

The meltdown continues to affect the aluminum smelter, four days after the cyberattack.

In a press release issued at the end of the morning, Alouette noted that her teams are still working on restoring these computer systems.

Email and phone systems are still not working.

The management of America’s largest aluminum production plant does not indicate whether aluminum production has been affected, but rather determines that activities are continuing in a safe manner.

According to cybersecurity specialist Alexis Dorais-Joncas, director of ESET’s Montreal Office of Research and Development, it is normal that several days will be needed to recover from this crash.

“The press release is encouraging, they recover from an attack. It rarely happens that one recovers from such an attack within a few hours or a few days. It seems that there is still work to be done.”

According to Alexis Dorais-Joncas, it is very likely that the Alouette cyberattack, as well as the attack on the Bridgestone tire plant in Joliet since Sunday, is a ransomware attack, that is, an attack intended for ransom.

According to his notes, no cyber-attacks related to the conflict in Ukraine have yet been identified outside of Ukraine

In Alouette, in Bridgestone, I expect the government to be part of the investigation. If it is determined that there was indeed a link, that the tactics used in Ukraine would have been used elsewhere, and that malware we discovered in Ukraine had also been used elsewhere, that would be a game-changer for the future. At this level you have to be very quick to respond.

Alouette’s management does not give an interview and indicates that an investigation is underway. If the latter brings up a particular issue, “the persons concerned will be informed” refers to the press release.