City of Atlanta Hit by SamSam Ransomware

A ransomware attack on the city of Atlanta on Mar. 22 has left officials scrambling to provide services to residents. Many critical services, like public-safety and wastewater treatment, have been unaffected. Meanwhile, other systems have ground to a halt or...
April 1, 2018

Only Half of Ransomware Payments Resulted in Decrypted Files

A report from a leading research firm found a startling statistic for 2017: only half of ransomware victims who paid a ransom were able to successfully decrypt their files. These findings and others in the report offer even more incentive...
March 21, 2018

SamSam Ransomware Infects CDOT

SamSam ransomware has infected thousands of computers at the Colorado Department of Transportation. Over 2,000 employee computers were shut down to stop the spread of the malware after it was discovered on Feb. 21, and systems are still not back...
March 19, 2018

US and Britain Blame Russian Military for NotPetya

British and US officials publicly blamed Russia for the NotPetya ransomware attack that occurred on June 27, 2017. Ukrainian organizations, including the state power company and Kiev’s main airport, were among the first to report being affected, and approximately 80 ...
February 20, 2018

Malware Report Sheds Light on Underreported Cybercrimes

A New York Times report revealed that law enforcement investigating cybercrimes can face many challenges including incomplete data, outdated statistical categories, and a lack of funding for cyber divisions. These problems hinder the solving of not just digital crimes, but...
February 7, 2018

Cybercriminals Ditch Bitcoin in Search of Better Cryptocurrency

Cybercriminals are embracing alternative cryptocurrencies due to a multitude of concerns over bitcoin. Bitcoin’s newfound popularity has led to booming and busting prices, higher transaction fees, and longer wait times to confirm transactions. Harder-to-trace and cheaper-to-use digital currencies such as...
January 25, 2018

Schools, Non-Profits, Local Governments, and Medical Centers Hit by Ransomware in 2017

Three major ransomware attacks dominated the headlines in 2017, but there were also dozens of smaller incidents that paralyzed organizations and businesses throughout the year. Because many cyber attacks go unreported, we can only guess at the full extent of...
January 10, 2018

2017 Ransomware Recap

Ransomware became a household name in 2016. As hackers extorted ransoms from hospitals, universities, and other groups in return for files, the public became aware of how vulnerable devices are in this connected age. Even with the awareness of this...
January 4, 2018

Holiday Sale on Ransomware

“One-time payment at the cheap price of $40 for a lifetime subscription. Buy it now! You’ll never get another offer like this.” It sounds straight from an infomercial or a magazine ad, but this sales pitch (with corrected grammar) came...
December 5, 2017

Ransomware Market Expands as Healthcare Industry Continues Feeling the Effects

A computer security company determined that the dark-web ransomware market has grown by 2,500 percent from 2016 to 2017. The company, Carbon Black, credits that expansion to the relative anonymity of Bitcoin and Tor as well as the lucrative return-on-investment...
October 25, 2017