World Council of Churches hit by ransomware attack

In an initial contact on 26 December, the group hacked the World Council of Churches systems and asked for payment. The group also threatened to share material worldwide and compromise all the systems. All systems went down on 26 December.

The World Council of Churches IT Team is working hard to restore all the systems, including the World Council of Churches website, which have been protected over the years by increasingly robust security.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay condemned the criminal attack. “It is terrible to experience such things as this, but public roles can lead to attacks like these,” he said.

The World Council of Churches continues to take the necessary steps to protect its security, and has already informed the Swiss police and other relevant Swiss authorities. “We will continue our work,” said Pillay. “The World Council of Churches will never give in to such threats. These people must be investigated and stopped.”

Pillay added that he is convinced, more than ever, that a strong voice for digital justice is needed. “In pursuit of technological progress, human beings cannot misuse these for personal gains,” he said.

Pillay has called on all staff, member churches and partners of the WCC to remain vigilant and alert of any hoaxes that may be spread in the name of the World Council of Churches by the hackers.