An unnamed US county paid $1M extortion demand to cybercriminals


A US county reportedly paid $1 million to Kairos, an extortion gang that claimed to have stolen more than 2 TB of data, but the county never received independently verifiable proof that the stolen files had been deleted – just the criminals’ promise.

This means the county’s stolen files may turn up for sale on a dark web forum, and the same (or another) crime crew could again demand an extortion payment to not leak the data.

It’s also a reminder that, despite the feds urging victims not to pay cybercriminals, sometimes coughing up the ransom demand seems to be the lesser of evils.

Read more…
Source:  The Register


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • FBI Investigating Cyber Attack Affecting Connecticut Hospitals

    August 4, 2023

    “Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. recently experienced a data security incident that has disrupted our operations,” said Nina Kruse, ECHN’s vice president for communications and public affairs. “Upon learning of this, we took our systems offline to protect them and launched an investigation with the help of third-party cybersecurity specialists,” she said. The FBI’s field office in New ...

  • CISA Releases Five Industrial Control Systems Advisories

    August 3, 2023

    CISA released five Industrial Control Systems (ICS) advisories on August 3, 2023. These advisories provide timely information about current security issues, vulnerabilities, and exploits surrounding ICS. ICSA-23-215-01 Mitsubishi Electric GOT2000 and GOT SIMPLE ICSA-23-215-02 Mitsubishi Electric GT and GOT Series Products Read more… Source: U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency  

  • FBI was using advanced hacking software despite White House ban

    August 2, 2023

    Since November of 2021, US-based companies have been barred from doing business with the NSO Group, an Israeli research firm behind some of the most advanced hacking tools the tech world has ever seen. Come to find out, a New York Times investigation from this past April revealed that a US government agency was actively using ...

  • UT Dallas joins national effort to respond to cyber attacks on public infrastructure

    August 1, 2023

    UT Dallas last week announced it’s joining a nationwide collaboration to research how to make network-connected infrastructure — including self-driving cars, drones and Wi-Fi-connected trains — more resilient to cyber attacks. The Richardson-based university joins eight others selected for the National Center for Transportation Cybersecurity and Resiliency, or TraCR, led by Clemson University in South Carolina. ...

  • CISA and International Partner NCSC-NO Release Joint Cybersecurity Advisory on Threat Actors Exploiting Ivanti EPMM Vulnerabilities

    August 1, 2023

    The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Norwegian National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NO) have released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA), Threat Actors Exploiting Ivanti EPMM Vulnerabilities, in response to the active exploitation of CVE-2023-35078 and CVE-2023-35081 affecting Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile (EPMM) (formerly known as MobileIron Core). Threat actors can chain these vulnerabilities to ...

  • US officials search for hidden Chinese malware that could affect military operations

    July 29, 2023

    US officials are searching for Chinese malware hidden in various defense systems that could disrupt military communications and resupply operations, The New York Times reported Saturday. The administration believes malicious computer code has been hidden inside “networks controlling power grids, communications systems and water supplies that feed military bases,” officials told the Times. Read more… Source: CNN News