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:
- US and Australia warn of escalating Avaddon ransomware attacks
May 10, 2021
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) are warning of an ongoing Avaddon ransomware campaign targeting organizations from an extensive array of sectors in the US and worldwide. The FBI said in a TLP:GREEN flash alert last week that Avaddon ransomware affiliates are trying to breach the networks of manufacturing, ...
- DarkSide ransomware will now vet targets after pipeline cyberattack
May 10, 2021
The DarkSide ransomware gang posted a new “press release” today stating that they are apolitical and will vet all targets before they are attacked. Last week, the ransomware gang encrypted the network for the Colonial Pipeline, the largest fuel pipeline in the United States. Read more… Source: Bleeping Computer Related story: Colonial Pipeline cyberattack shuts down pipeline that supplies ...
- Colonial Pipeline cyberattack shuts down pipeline that supplies 45% of East Coast’s fuel
May 8, 2021
Colonial Pipeline, which accounts for 45% of the East Coast’s fuel, said it has shut down its operations due to a cyberattack. The attack highlights how ransomware and other cyberattacks are increasingly a threat to real-world infrastructure. The company delivers refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, home heating oil and fuel for the ...
- Biden Administration Drafting EO to Help U.S. Government Secure Digital Supply Chain
May 3, 2021
Biden Administration Drafting EO to Help U.S. Gov’t Secure Digital Supply Chain The Biden administration said it’s drafting an executive order to help the United States government better defend itself against digital supply chain attacks. A Step Up for Federal Procurement According to NPR, the executive order that’s being drafted will include several initiatives designed to strengthen the ...
- San Diego: Scripps Health Cyberattack Causes Widespread Hospital Outages
May 3, 2021
Scripps Health, a hospital network based in San Diego, was hit by a cyberattack over the weekend, forcing some critical-care patients to be diverted, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Scripps acknowledged the attack in a statement but didn’t specify whether it was a ransomware incident. It’s also unknown whether the adversaries compromised any patient records ...
- Multi-Gov Task Force Plans to Take Down the Ransomware Economy
April 29, 2021
Ransomware has reached crisis levels across business sectors and across the globe, but a public-private Ransomware Task Force aims to stem the tide of attacks by disrupting the crooks’ business model. The Institute for Security and Technology (IST) put together the coalition, which includes more than 60 members from software companies, government agencies, cybersecurity vendors, financial ...