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Garmin services down after reported ransomware attack

Garmin’s servers and services have been taken down for almost a day, purportedly by a ransomware attack late Thursday, according to ZD Net.

Several Garmin services went down on Thursday, with the issue affecting Garmin’s website, apps, aviation software, and call centers, as well as Garmin Connect. Users with Garmin wearables have been unable to sync their data, and those using the aviation navigational equipment are no longer able to meet Federal Aviation Administration requirements for flights.

Garmin tweeted it was working to resolve the crash “as quickly as possible” but did not give a reason for the loss in service.

Digital Trends asked Garmin what caused the outage, but haa not heard back. We will update this story when we receive a response.

According to ZD Net, Garmin was reportedly forced to shut down all service operations to address the fallout behind the hack, which left internal systems and networks encrypted and unable to be accessed.

It is uncertain whether any customer or partner data was lost in the reported attack, but a Garmin spokesperson has called the outage “a part of an ongoing investigation,” according to ZD Net.

In a post to r/sysadmin, a Reddit user claimed that ransomware variant WastedLocker was responsible for the recent server attack on Garmin and has demanded a ransom payment of an unknown amount. This group is known for targeting U.S. organizations with malware in exchange for steep ransom payments of up to $10 million in Bitcoin.

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Zoe Christen Jones
Zoe Christen Jones is a breaking news reporter. She covers news, digital culture, tech, and more. Previously, she was…
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