Thursday, December 28, 2023

WCC news: WCC hit by ransomware attack

The World Council of Churches (WCC) communications systems have been hacked by a ransomware group.
Photos: Albin Hillert/WCC
28 December 2023
In an initial contact on 26 December, the group hacked the WCC systems and asked for payment. The group also threatened to share material worldwide and compromise all the systems. All systems went down on 26 December.
 
The WCC IT Team is working hard to restore all the systems, including the WCC website, which have been protected over the years by increasingly robust security.
 
WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay condemned the criminal attack. “It is terrible to experience such things as this, but public roles can lead to attacks like these,” he said.
 
The WCC continues to take the necessary steps to protect its security, and has already informed the Swiss police and other relevant Swiss authorities. “We will continue our work,” said Pillay. “The WCC will never give in to such threats. These people must be investigated and stopped.”
 
Pillay added that he is convinced, more than ever, that a strong voice for digital justice is needed. “In pursuit of technological progress, human beings cannot misuse these for personal gains,” he said. 
 
Pillay has called on all staff, member churches and partners of the WCC to remain vigilant and alert of any hoaxes that may be spread in the name of the WCC by the hackers.
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The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.

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