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Garmin services and production go down after ransomware attack

zdnet.com

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Re: Garmin services and production go down after ransomware attack

#191

Post by userbinator »

grl wrote: post #129
cnbuff410 wrote: post #111

How does ransomware attack work if the company host all of their service in the cloud (aws/gcloud/etc.)? Based on some preliminary readings, it seems like ransomware attack is mostly conducted on a physical machine. If your service data is all stored in the cloud and not synced with any of the machines owned by your employees, are you still subject to this type of attack?

Ransomware and cloud are very generic terms. Ransomware is a concept of encrypting data to deny service. Cloud really references virtual architecture that is easy to expand and contract, often in a 3rd party cloud provider like Azure or AWS. The "machines" could be windows, linux, docker containers, Lamda functions (AWS), etc. running virtually in "the cloud". So, a ransomware in the cloud just means that someone enc…

but not as common as encrypting windows machines, which is what usually makes the news.

It could be Windows machines in the cloud.

Re: Garmin services and production go down after ransomware attack

#192

Post by alfalfasprout »

exabrial wrote: post #6

Their products are designed to work offline. Despite the cloud being down I have full local functionality right now. (Though I can't see my history, surprised they don't cache that locally). Last year when I did a 9-day canoe trip with no cell phone reception, all of my Garmin gear worked flawlessly (wearables, navigation devices, and their offline map app). Can't say the same about my friends iWatches/fitbits or eve…

I can't add a new device. just got a garmin index scale and it's a paperweight until they solve this.

Re: Garmin services and production go down after ransomware attack

#193

Post by stonogo »

rightbyte wrote: post #20
wil421 wrote: post #17

Recently I was looking into Fish finders. Garmin has some cool tech and their maps are great. I’ll have to make sure I don’t get a connected device.

Having your gps time-out on you might be lethal. Imagine an hypothetical auto update bricking all gps devices in the group on a mountain top or the sea and relying on a compass and map if you were smart enought to bring it. Not having a gps makes many endouvers just that much more risky. Edit: made it clear it is a hypothetical scenario

If you're in signal service for an update, you have alternatives. If you have no alternatives, you're out of range of updates. The sorts of devices involved (and here I'm thinking of the GPSMAP series and friends) don't do over-the-air updates anyway, and don't rely on networked mapping services. Maps are stored on the device before you ever leave the house.

Re: Garmin services and production go down after ransomware attack

#194

Post by bloodorange »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #105
exabrial wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It has a transactional guarantee of "maybe". I would _definitely_ not rely on this functionality for anything other than non-critical or time sensitive casual navigation on roadways. When I'm out in the bush, I need my device to be up and working locally. It seems that stuff designed in SV just assumes the lifestyle of 100% connectivity is universal.

Do you have any recommendations for digital mapping solutions that “just work” without connectivity?

Typical satnav devices work fine without internet connectivity. Of course, such a device won't work if it can't connect to satellites providing positioning data but I think that was not what you had in mind when you said "connectivity".

Re: Garmin services and production go down after ransomware attack

#195

Post by kettro »

jacquesm wrote: post #59

The internet-of-things that aren't really your things strikes again. When will manufacturers learn that their hardware should function even if their services are down? The whole account/subscription tacked on for no apparent reason thing is highly irritating, and Garmin is actually better than most.

When I worked for Garmin, we deliberately designed products to work for as long as possible offline - the Bike Speed & Cadence Monitors (~2018) are able to work for 1 year, riding every day, then a battery change, and then another year, all before a sync to a device is required. All of the rides should be stored on-device.

Re: Garmin services and production go down after ransomware attack

#196

Post by pixelface »

kcmastrpc wrote: post #31
Molpot wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm currently using a Sony Xperia X running Sailfish OS but I'd like to switch to a Pinephone running Postmarket OS.

I respect that you're this motivated to remain free from the clutches of the corporate overlords - but damn, it sounds exhausting.

as someone who is waiting on their pinephone order right now, a major factor for me is supporting the existence of not-google not-apple. i want other options and even though they are not great yet, if enough of us support that niche it will become better. i hope enough people buying into it now will hasten viable daily driver phones running linux proper.

Re: Garmin services and production go down after ransomware attack

#197

Post by ackbar03 »

Nobody seems to be mentioning how the data is potentially more valuable then the ransom? If customer data is stored on their servers, the hacker potentially has the historical location data and identities of a lot of their customers now, which could potentially contain sensitive information of important people and possibly valuable to state actors

Re: Garmin services and production go down after ransomware attack

#198

Post by httpsterio »

jmkerr wrote: post #10
exabrial wrote: post #6

Their products are designed to work offline. Despite the cloud being down I have full local functionality right now. (Though I can't see my history, surprised they don't cache that locally). Last year when I did a 9-day canoe trip with no cell phone reception, all of my Garmin gear worked flawlessly (wearables, navigation devices, and their offline map app). Can't say the same about my friends iWatches/fitbits or eve…

All devices function as USB mass storage devices as far as I know, so no data is lost. I was planning to load a bike route from komoot on to my FR735 later today which will take an additional minute without Garmin servers. They're surprisingly optional.

except for possibly the data that is in the cloud and not stored locally any longer.

Re: Garmin services and production go down after ransomware attack

#199

Post by alfalfasprout »

mns wrote: post #16
danielbln wrote: post #2

For many many hours already, including SSO, their webshop, and all of Garmin connect. The devices can't sync anymore, the mobile apps are all but useless and Garmin has yet to comment on any of this. Yikes.

It's weird that everything Garmin related is down. I wonder if they got hacked or something similar and just took everything offline. Their response is also weird, seems like internal infrastructure is also down. "We are currently experiencing an outage that affects Garmin Connect, and as a result, the Garmin Connect website and mobile app are down at this time. This outage also affects our call centers, and we are c…

I’m guessing they pulled “the plug” on everything once they saw the ransomware was spreading.

Re: Garmin services and production go down after ransomware attack

#200

Post by alfalfasprout »

PaulPfeiffer wrote: post #110

While I am concerned a little for the location of my home now being in the hands of the wrong people. I am more Concerned with Garmin's Unprofessionalism... People who own yachts should probably be the most concerned..

Marine and aviation units don’t connect to the internet for data typically. Their inReach satellite communicators also use a totally different network that’s unaffected
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