They say, “Ya gotta Play, to Win.” Many state lotteries are now online through the Internet. But in New Hampshire, playing the lottery on the Internet could be hazardous. Clicking unknown pop-ups on the Internet is never a good idea and it wasn’t in NH this past Friday.
The New Hampshire Lottery website is back in service after the agency faced a cyber-attack on 26 August that attempted to trick users into clicking a pop-up and downloading malware. “The (cyber) attack resulted in the creation of a banner/pop-up intending to get users to click and download a .zip file…We are confident that this attack did not impact any player data nor compromise the integrity of our gaming platforms,” wrote the NH Lottery on its Facebook.[1]
The agency said anyone who accidentally clicked on the banners or pop-ups should delete any files that may have been downloaded and empty the computer’s trash/recycle bin. If consumers opened up the .zip file, it recommended running anti-virus or anti-malware software.
The website was taken offline while an investigation into the attack took place. However, the lottery organization posted that its website was back online early on the 27th.
In 2021, there was a 50% increase in cyber-attack attempts per week on corporate networks compared to the previous year, according to Check Point Research, a “cyber threat intelligence” company. To avoid cyber-attacks, the US DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recommends turning on two-factor authentication, updating software, looking at a link before opening, and using strong passwords.
When perusing the Internet, it is never a good idea to randomly click on pop-ups. Though the AD or story looks interesting, it is often a lure to “click” and then download malicious malware. Don’t fall into that trap.
Red Sky Alliance is a Cyber Threat Analysis and Intelligence Service organization. For questions, comments or assistance, please contact the office directly at 1-844-492-7225, or feedback@wapacklabs. com
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[1] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/nh-lottery-website-returns-after-facing-cyber-attack/ar-AA11bYoD
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