In a surprising turn of events, Fidelity National Financial (FNF), a prominent real estate services company, revealed last Tuesday that it had fallen victim to a cyberattack. FNF, widely recognized as the leading provider of title insurance and escrow services in North America, has since faced a system-wide outage, leaving homeowners and prospective buyers uncertain and worried about the state of their investments.

Amid the chaos, many individuals who conducted transactions with FNF or its subsidiaries found themselves in a state of confusion. One anonymous woman, who recently sold a property worth $397,000 with the assistance of IPX 1031, an intermediary owned by FNF, expressed frustration over the lack of information and support. Despite numerous attempts to contact IPX 1031, she has been unable to speak with anyone.

TechCrunch's attempt to reach an IPX 1031 employee met with a voicemail notification stating that Fidelity National Financial was still grappling with a system-wide outage, causing disruptions in email communication and access to their systems. Regrettably, FNF has not responded to TechCrunch's inquiries since the news of the cyberattack broke.

Further attempts to seek clarification were made through a call to FNF's corporate office, only to be met with a busy signal and an automated message. Similar outcomes occurred when the call was repeated on Wednesday. Additionally, FNF's website remained inaccessible at the time of publication, exacerbating concerns and frustrations surrounding the ongoing situation.

Although FNF has disclosed limited information publicly, a recent regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shed some light on the incident. The company outlined that certain systems were blocked as a precautionary measure, resulting in disruptions to their business operations, including title insurance services, escrow and other title-related services, mortgage transaction services, and technology provided to the real estate and mortgage industries.

One affected homeowner, Christine Youmans, expressed her confusion and helplessness, particularly in relation to LoanCare, a company owned by FNF that she uses for mortgage payment services. LoanCare's website also faced disruptions, preventing users from accessing their accounts and making payments. Youmans lamented the inability to contact customer service, compounding the difficulties faced by individuals in paying their mortgages.

In the midst of the turmoil, a ransomware gang named ALPHV, also known as BlackCat, claimed responsibility for the cyberattack on FNF. They made their declaration on their official dark web platform shortly after the incident.

As the situation unfolds, homeowners and buyers continue to grapple with uncertainty, unable to access vital services or obtain necessary information. It remains to be seen how FNF will address the aftermath of the cyberattack and provide support to those impacted by the system-wide outage.