Ransomware breach forces temporary halt to cross‑border settlements

A coordinated cyberattack struck the data centre that hosts the Oriente Moderno Financial Authority's settlement platform on Tuesday, forcing an immediate suspension of cross‑border payment processing across the Republic. Operators reported a sudden loss of connectivity to the core servers, halting all real‑time transfers between regional banks and overseas partners.

The breach has been linked to a ransomware group identified by the Federal Cybersecurity Unit as 'Silk Shadow', which deployed encryption on transaction logs and blocked API endpoints that link the deep‑water port's trade‑finance system with foreign clearing houses. The attackers demanded a payment in bitcoin to release the files.

In response, Minister of the Treasury Marcus Eklund convened an emergency briefing with the Federal Treasury, the Oriente Moderno Financial Authority, and the Port Authority of Nueva Singapur. He announced a provisional restoration plan that will prioritize critical settlement lanes while forensic teams work to decrypt the compromised databases. The full report details the attack's technical vector, the inter‑agency coordination, and the regulatory reforms under discussion to prevent a recurrence.