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Garmin Confirms Cyber Attack, But Says No User Data Was Stolen

Based on Garmin's description of the attack, which encrypted some of its systems, it sounds like the company was hit by ransomware. It declined to say whether it paid the hackers to decrypt it systems.

Michael Kan
 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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Garmin has all but confirmed the company was the victim of a ransomware attack, but says no customer data appears to have been stolen.

In a Monday statement, Garmin described last week’s incident as a “cyber attack” that encrypted some of its systems—the hallmark of a ransomware attack. “As a result, many of our online services were interrupted including website functions, customer support, customer facing applications, and company communications,” the company said. 

Evidence is emerging the attack involved a ransomware strain known as WastedLocker, which security researchers suspect comes from a Russian hacking group known as Evil Corp. In December 2019, the US government imposed sanctions on 17 individuals tied to the group. 

According to BleepingComputer, the culprits behind the Garmin attack have been demanding the company fork over $10 million to free the encrypted computers. But whether Garmin agreed to pay up is unclear. The company declined to offer any further comment.

If Garmin did pay the hackers, then it’s possible the company violated the earlier US sanctions against Evil Corp, which federal investigations claim is being run by a 32-year-old Russian named Maksim Yakubets.  

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For now, Garmin is only saying: “We have no indication that any customer data, including payment information from Garmin Pay, was accessed, lost, or stolen.” The company is also gradually restoring the affected systems, and expects them to return to normal within a few days.  

A status page for the company’s services now shows Garmin Dive, Garmin Golf, and LiveTrack are all back up. However, access to Garmin Connect, the company’s database for wearable devices, remains spotty. “As our affected systems are restored, we expect some delays as the backlog of information is being processed,” the company added. 

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About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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