Chokehold on Baltimore: malware

[tarekma7]

Imagine being locked out of your files. It's a nightmare! By now, ransomware has outstripped viruses and other malware. Ransomware offers a straightforward means of blackmailing victims and, if you don't pay, you'll never get your files back. That's enough to make end-users break out in a sweat. But it's not just end-users but also small city administrations, schools, government authorities and hospitals that are being targeted. Latest victim: the city of Baltimore. And once again, the NSA is somewhat involved too (even though they likely won't have a bad conscience) because, guess what, they supplied the tool.

When cities roll with the times, we all benefit. Whether we're checking opening hours online, make appointments, ask questions via email or download PDFs for printing, online connectivity is usually a good thing. But this openness is not without danger. Contact with citizens through multiple channels means multiple attack vectors, including malware-infested emails opened by clueless civil servants. That's exactly what happened on May 6th, when Ransomware ate its way through thousands of computers of Baltimore's city administration, rendering important files inaccessible. The malware then spread from PR to other departments, until staff members took thousands of PCs of the network. It was already too late! According to present knowledge, the city of Baltimore can now either pay the ransom or reinstall all affected PCs – and live with any data loss incurred. At present, it is fairly unlikely the files can be decrypted through other means.

That's why the city of Baltimore's website currently states that email communication is no longer possible. It's back to good old telephones for them. More importantly, e-payment options are also highly limited, meaning the city has to settle its utility bills the old-fashioned way! The blackmailers are not only threatening to keep the affected files locked but also to delete them completely. So far, no ransom has been paid, which is also what the FBI recommends. There's no guarantee that the files would become usable again or that the malware would completely disappear from the affected machines. Once you give in to extortion, you'll always be a target! Then, there's a moral component: Should governments negotiate with extortionists – and make their crimes worthwhile?

More info HERE