James Delahunty
7 Jun 2014 18:20
A New Hampshire town absolutely will not pay a ransom to recover files that were encrypted by raonsomware that infected systems at the police department.
Ransomware is a type of malware that attempts to force the victim into handing over a sum of money by holdings systems, or files hostage. Earlier this week, a US-led operation targeted the Cypertolocker ransomware that is estimated to have cost individuals and businesses around $30 million. The malware encrypts files in the background and demands a payment of 1 bitcoin to decrypt them, which could cost up to $600. If a fee isn't paid on time, the files can be destroyed forever.
The malware that infected the police department of Durham, New Hampshire, is not Cryptolocker, but a similar threat known as Cryptowall.
Accordin to Todd Selig, town manager, the infection started when a police officer opened an e-mail attachment that appeared legitimate. Luckily, the police department creates period backups of files and will restore as much as possible.
"Make no mistake, the Town of Durham will be paying no ransom," Selig is quoted by CBS Boston, as saying.
"This is why backups are essential -- we prepare for the worst, and hope for the best. But when the worst occurs, we are ready."
VIA: Ars Technica