cyber ransom News

Ex-Security Chief Martin Urges UK to Outlaw Cyber Ransoms

Ciaran Martin, who stepped down as head of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre this month, will call on Boris Johnson’s government to make it illegal for companies to pay cyber hackers a ransom. “If I had one policy card …

Putting Municipal Ransomware Attacks— and Cyber Insurance —in Context

The ransomware attacks on public entities in Texas, Florida, Maryland, Georgia and elsewhere this year have raised questions not only about paying ransoms but also about the role of insurance in helping these targets get back to serving the public. …

Second Florida City Pays Hackers As Third City Faces Breach

A second small Florida city this month has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to hackers who took over most of its computer operations, an official said Wednesday, while a third Florida city said its data was breached. The attacks …

Florida City Pays $600K to Hackers to Save Computer Records

A Florida city agreed to pay $600,000 in ransom to hackers who took over its computer system, the latest in thousands of attacks worldwide aimed at extorting money from governments and businesses. The Riviera Beach City Council voted unanimously this …

Hackers’ Ransom Demands Rise as Victims Keep Paying: Symantec

Hackers are demanding increasingly hefty ransoms to free computers paralyzed with viruses, as cyber criminals seek to maximize profits from large numbers of victims willing to pay up, according to cyber security firm Symantec Corp. The average demand embedded in …

Surprising Number of Cyber Attacks Aim to Destroy, Not Steal

Hacking attacks that destroy rather than steal data or that manipulate equipment are far more prevalent than widely believed, according to a survey of critical infrastructure organizations throughout North and South America. The poll by the Organization of American States, …

Sony Case Among Growing Number of Cyber Ransoms: Benner

Just three days before cyber-attackers crippled Sony Pictures, the hackers sent an e-mail to executives Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal that said they would do great damage to the company if they weren’t paid off. The note, discovered by Mashable, …