BridgePay Confirms Ransomware Attack Caused Recent Outage
A ransomware attack has significantly disrupted operations for BridgePay, a prominent payment gateway provider in the U.S. The incident began on a Friday and quickly escalated into a nationwide outage impacting multiple services.
Details of the Ransomware Incident
BridgePay Network Solutions confirmed that the recent outage was caused by a ransomware attack. The company engaged federal authorities, including the FBI and U.S. Secret Service, and hired external forensic teams to assist in the investigation. Initial findings indicated that no credit card data had been compromised during this incident.
Response and Recovery
As of February 6, BridgePay noted that affected files were encrypted without evidence of usable data exposure. The company is committed to handling recovery in a secure and responsible manner, although the timeline for complete restoration remains uncertain.
Impact on Merchants and Customers
In response to the outage, many merchants across the U.S. have resorted to cash-only transactions. Some businesses reported that they could not accept card payments due to the incident.
- A restaurant announced that it faced a cyber security breach, disrupting credit card processing.
- The City of Palm Bay, Florida, stated that its online billing payment portal was unavailable due to BridgePay’s disruption and advised customers to pay in person.
- Organizations like Lightspeed Commerce and ThriftTrac also reported services were affected.
Systems Affected
BridgePay’s outage impacted several key services, including:
- BridgePay Gateway API (BridgeComm)
- PayGuardian Cloud API
- MyBridgePay virtual terminal and reporting
- Hosted payment pages
- PathwayLink gateway and boarding portals
Early warnings of the disruption emerged at 3:29 a.m. when degraded performance was reported across various systems, eventually leading to a full outage. The widespread nature of the disruption has affected many merchants and payment integrators dependent on BridgePay for card processing.
Ongoing Investigations and Future Outlook
The breadth of this ransomware attack highlights the vulnerability of payment infrastructure, where such outages can have immediate impacts on commerce. BridgePay continues to investigate the incident, signaling a serious concern about cybersecurity in the payment industry.
The recent ransomware attack on BridgePay serves as a cautionary tale for all businesses relying on electronic payment systems, as the ripple effects can be felt across multiple sectors.
