Fresnillo PLC, the world’s largest silver producer and a top global producer of gold, copper, and zinc, said attackers gained access to data stored on its systems during a recent cyberattack.
The mining giant revealed in a Tuesday filing with the London Stock Exchange that it was “the subject of a cyber security incident which has resulted in unauthorised access to certain IT systems and data.”
Upon discovering the attack, Fresnillo initiated response measures to contain the breach, and its IT experts are investigating and assessing the incident’s impact in coordination with external forensic specialists.
It also added that the cyberattack didn’t affect its operations and said that it doesn’t expect financial or material impact.
“All business units continue their activities and no material operational or financial impact has been experienced or is foreseen. This will be assessed on an ongoing basis until the situation is resolved,” Fresnillo added.
“Fresnillo plc takes the issue of cyber security extremely seriously and will continue to fully investigate this incident and take all appropriate measures.”
The company operates eight mines, all of them in Mexico (Fresnillo, Saucito, Juanicipio, Ciénega, Herradura, Soledad-Dipolos1, Noche Buena, and San Julián), four advanced exploration projects (Orisyvo, Rodeo, Guanajuato, and Tajitos), and some other long-term exploration prospects.
Fresnillo is listed on the London (FRES:LSE) and Mexican (FRES:BMV) stock exchanges, and it has mining concessions and exploration projects in Mexico, Peru, and Chile.
When asked for more information on the incident, a Fresnillo spokesperson told BleepingComputer that the company had nothing else to share.
Last month, Australian mining company Northern Minerals disclosed a security breach after the BianLian ransomware gang published data stolen from its network (including corporate, operational, and financial information) on the dark web.
The Canadian Copper Mountain Mining Corporation (CMMC) was also forced to shut down systems at one of its mills to contain and assess the impact of a December 2022 ransomware attack.
