ransomware News

Cyberattack Cost Michigan Utility $2M, 14 Employees

A utility company in Lansing, Mich., is still transitioning back to stability after a cyberattack temporarily disabled the company’s internal network and required it to pay a $25,000 ransom. Dick Peffley, general manager for the Board of Water & Light, …

Firms Turn to Kidnap Insurance Policies to Cover Ransomware Losses

Companies without cyber insurance are dusting off policies covering kidnap, ransom and extortion in the world’s political hotspots to recoup losses caused by ransomware viruses such as “WannaCry,” insurers say. Cyber insurance can be expensive to buy and is not …

European Cyber Police Hunt for Culprits of Global Ransomware Attack

Days after the global cyber attack, U.K. police are trying to figure out whether it was an established network of criminals, state-backed hackers or bored teenagers that crippled the country’s health service. The malware campaign affected more than 200,000 computers …

WannaCry Ransomware Hackers Threaten to Release More Malicious Code

Governments turned their attention to a possible new wave of cyber threats on Tuesday after the group that leaked U.S. hacking tools used to launch the global WannaCry “ransomware” attack warned it would release more malicious code. The fast-spreading cyber …

Some Firms Opt to Pay Hackers’ Ransoms, but Fail to Recover Data: Opinion

Behind the rise of ransomware lies the rise of bitcoin, the virtual currency of choice for hacker blackmailers who steal huge amounts of sensitive data. That doesn’t mean bitcoin is inherently to blame, but it does suggest that business has …

Firms Hit by Cyber Attack Could Face Lawsuits over Lax Security: Legal Experts

Businesses that failed to update Microsoft Windows-based computer systems that were hit by a massive cyber attack over the weekend could be sued over their lax cyber security, but Microsoft Corp. itself enjoys strong protection from lawsuits, legal experts said. …

Many Non-U.S. Firms May Be Uninsured for Recent Ransomware Attack

Many companies outside the United States may not have cover for a recent computer-system attack, leaving them potentially with millions of dollars of losses because there has been relatively little take-up of cyber insurance, insurers say. A massive ransomware worm …

Global Cyber Attack Expected to Continue but Malware Spread Slows

Governments and companies around the world began to gain the upper hand against the first wave of an unrivaled global cyber attack, even as the assault was poised to continue claiming victims this week. More than 200,000 computers in at …

Global Cyber Attack Temporarily Disabled by Security Specialist

The cyber attack that spread rapidly around the globe was stifled when a security researcher disabled a key mechanism used by the worm to spread, but experts said the hackers were likely to return as many computers remain at risk. …

Ransomware Hack of UK Hospitals Part of Global Cyber Attack

Extortionist hackers who may be using leaked computer exploits from the U.S. National Security Agency infiltrated computers in dozens of countries in a fast-spreading attack that forced British hospitals to turn away patients and breached systems at Spain’s Telefonica SA …