Over two weeks ago , cybercriminals breach the servers of Baltimore , Maryland , contribute to various system being taken offline and several municipal functions grinding to a halt . The aggressor used ransomware calledRobbinHood , the latest participant in the existence of cyberattacks .
The attack was key out on May 7th , when city officials found that certain critical single file were encipher remotely and could no longer be access . The FBI was apprise and urban center systems were taken offline for protective covering . However , the assailant had already taken down email , voicemail , a parking fines database , and a payment system for water system , property taxes , and vehicle citations .
The whole scheme has roughly 7,000 user , who had to shift many of their operations to “ manual modal value ” as a possible workaround . The real estate transactions system was take down too , blocking home purchases , which the city only put a fix for in place this week .
The digital ransom greenback , which was seen byThe Baltimore Sun , asked for three Bitcoins per scheme or 13 Bitcoins in total . The cryptocurrency ca n’t be traced , which is why it has been asked for in recent ransomware attack . The value of bitcoins fluctuates a deal too . Today , 13 Bitcoins are deserving around$102,000 , but when the attack took position , they were deserving less than $ 75,000 .
“ We are well into the restorative summons , and as I ’ve indicated , are cooperating with the FBI on their probe . Due to that probe , we are not able to apportion information about the onset . To the extent that we can , we will go on to keep you informed about our unconscious process , ” Bernard Young , the Mayor of Baltimore , said in astatement .
“ Some of the return try also command that we reconstruct certain organisation to check that that when we regenerate commercial enterprise role , we are doing so in a secure manner . I am not able-bodied to cater you with an accurate timeline on when all systems will be restored . ”
The situation is another example of the menace of cybercrime on public infrastructures , particularly if it were to come at a interior level . In March 2018 , the city of Atlanta , Georgia , was the victim of a ransomware attack that cost them$2.6 millionto recover from .
[ H / T : The Baltimore Sun ]