Cyber Incident Victim: Independence
Date:
Sep 2022
Location:
Colombia
Summary
A Colombian oil and gas services firm, Independence, was listed by the LockBit ransomware group as a victim of a cyberattack involving alleged exfiltration of 180 GB of data. The incident occurred amid broader regional ransomware activity targeting entities in Chile, Venezuela, and Peru, though LockBit's claims remained unverified due to the absence of public confirmation from affected organizations or proof samples. No breach notifications appeared on the firm's website or social media channels, consistent with other LockBit listings in the region where victim entities did not acknowledge incidents despite ransomware group assertions.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On or around September 16, 2022, the LockBit ransomware group listed Colombian oil and gas services firm Independence on their data leak site. LockBit claimed to have exfiltrated 180 gigabytes of data from the company, which specializes in drilling, maintenance, and groundwater extraction services for the energy sector. The listing occurred amidst a broader LockBit targeting campaign against South American entities, including Chile’s Comisión Nacional de Acreditación (CNA), Colombia’s Quintal chemical manufacturer, Venezuela’s Makler insurance brokerage, and Peru’s Instituto De Desarrollo Profesional (IDEPRO). No proof-of-hack evidence, such as a sample data "proof pack," was publicly provided by LockBit to validate their claims against Independence at the time of initial reporting. Cybersecurity monitoring service DataBreaches attempted to verify the incident through direct inquiries to both LockBit’s representatives via Tox chat and Independence through official channels but received no responses from either party. Independence’s corporate website showed no breach disclosures, outage notices, or incident updates, and the company maintained no discernibly active social media presence that could corroborate or refute the ransomware group’s assertions.
The Independence incident emerged during a period of heightened ransomware activity across the region, following Chile’s SERNAC consumer protection agency breach and a CSIRT cybersecurity alert urging Chilean entities to bolster defenses. While LockBit’s leak site entry represented a tangible threat of potential data exposure, the absence of independently verifiable evidence left the incident’s scope and validity unconfirmed. DataBreaches classified all LockBit’s South American claims from this period—including Independence—as unsubstantiated due to the group’s historical inaccuracies in victim identification and the lack of collaborative evidence. Peru’s IDEPRO breach, disclosed contemporaneously via a hacking forum, demonstrated clearer confirmation patterns through third-party threat intelligence reports and national cybersecurity agency engagement, contrasting with the opaque status of Independence’s situation. No operational disruptions, financial demands, data restoration timelines, or regulatory filings related to Independence were documented in the available public reporting, leaving the practical impacts and organizational response undefined beyond LockBit’s initial claims.