Brazilian aerospace firm Embraer hit by cyberattack

Brazilian aerospace and defence group Embraer has been targeted by a cyberattack that has impacted the company's operations.

According to a statement released by the global firm on Monday (30) the attack resulted in the "disclosure of data allegedly attributed to the company".

The incident was reported five days after it took place to the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission. The Brazilian legislation requires immediate reporting of problems such as cyber attacks.

The cyberattack was identified on November 25, 2020, and access to a single systems environment of the company was unavailable as a result, according to the Embraer statement.

As a consequence of the attack internal systems have suffered a partial and temporary interruption, which temporarily impacted some operations.

According to Brazilian newspaper O Globo, the incident in question was a ransomware attack, which required the deactivation of a significant share of the servers operated by the company, which is currently operating under a contingency plan, with enhanced security.

An investigation is being carried out to ascertain the origin and consequences of the attack, the Embraer statement noted.

"The company is making every effort to investigate the circumstances of the attack, assess whether any potential impact on its business and third parties, and determine the measures to be taken," it added.

The Embraer news follow another major security incident in the Latin American country: the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice was hit last month by a major cyberattack that disrupted operations for more than two weeks.

According to the president of the Superior Court, minister Henrique Martins, the event was "the worst-ever" cyberattack that a Brazilian government body has suffered, both in terms of the dimension and complexity involved.