Tag Archives: ransomware

Avoid ransomware shutdown with a good data backup process

August 20, 2019 Ransomware is back in the news, with multiple attacks on cities, schools and smaller municipalities. But while you’re hearing about publicly funded entities being shut down, private firms and organizations also getting hit. You may not hear about them, but we do. Private businesses generally aren’t keen to publicly talk about a data breach or … Continue reading "Avoid ransomware shutdown with a good data backup process" Read More

Cyber attacks hit more school districts

August 7, 2019 The list of school districts hit with cyber attacks in recent weeks continues to grow.Some had money stolen through a phishing email. Some had their systems shut down by ransomware. Another system, the Avon Public School system in Connecticut, suffered repeated attacks, sometimes multiple times in one day, during a six-week period, Campus Safety Magazine … Continue reading "Cyber attacks hit more school districts" Read More

Four Louisiana school districts hit with cyber attacks

August 1, 2019 Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency last week after three school districts’ IT systems were locked up by ransomware. A fourth district reported experiencing unspecified “activity” this week and shut down its phone lines and email, the Advocate of Baton Rouge reported. IT systems were completely locked up by ransomware last … Continue reading "Four Louisiana school districts hit with cyber attacks" Read More

Mayors Conference resolves to stop paying ransoms to hackers

July 18, 2019 In an effort to “de-incentivize” hackers attacking municipalities with an increasing amount of ransomware the U.S. Conference Mayors issued a resolution to stop paying ransoms. At least 170 county, city, or state government systems have experienced a ransomware attack since 2013, and that 22 of them had occurred so far this year, the mayors’ organization … Continue reading "Mayors Conference resolves to stop paying ransoms to hackers" Read More

Ransomware affiliated sales rep announces “retirement”

July 10, 2019 If you were a victim of GandCrab ransomware – and reports say many people were last year – don’t read this.It will make your blood boil. Security Journalist Brian Krebs reports that he did some online digging, and figured out who might be behind the sales of the very successful global strain of ransomware. He … Continue reading "Ransomware affiliated sales rep announces “retirement”" Read More

Florida cities have different experiences with ransomware

June 23, 2019 Two cities in Palm Beach County, Florida, now have experienced ransomware.More than a year separates the attacks, and the costs escalated considerably. The Village of Palm Springs, which is not getting much media attention for the ransomware attack it says it experienced in 2018, paid $1,200 in ransom. Its costs for recovery, according to the … Continue reading "Florida cities have different experiences with ransomware" Read More

WannaCry ransomware still out there, attacking healthcare, manufacturing

June 10, 2019 Healthcare and manufacturing organizations with unpatched legacy systems are still at risk from the ransomware known as WannaCry. You may think a security researcher activated a killswitch in the malware code, and that was the end of WannaCry. But WannaCry is still out there, being used in attacks. Citing a report from a security firm, … Continue reading "WannaCry ransomware still out there, attacking healthcare, manufacturing" Read More

Bartley delivers ‘Ransomware Inc. 2019 Shareholders Meeting’ in Louisville

May 30, 2019 Attendees at the May 30 Data Connectors conference in Louisville heard the 2019 update of our CEO’s “Ransomware, Inc., Shareholders Meeting.” In it, ImageQuest CEO Milton Bartley, pretending to be the head of a global criminal hacking enterprise, explained how the fictitious firm was enjoying tremendous growth in revenues and “customer acquisition.” Bartley’s lively presentation … Continue reading "Bartley delivers ‘Ransomware Inc. 2019 Shareholders Meeting’ in Louisville" Read More

Ransomware surging this year, CNBC reports

May 29, 2019 Ransomware is returning as a major IT nightmare. CNBC reports that ransomware attacks are surging, up 500% this year after a lull last year.Just ask your local accounting firm or municipality. Can you afford to have your business or organization come to a complete halt? On Thursday, our CEO, Milton Bartley, will offer ways to … Continue reading "Ransomware surging this year, CNBC reports" Read More

Insurance Journal reports ransomware attacks ‘skyrocket’ Q1 2019

May 25, 2019 As Baltimore continues to struggle to recover from a ransomware attack, Insurance Journal reports ransomware attacks increased 105 percent, citing Beazley Breach Response Services. Criminals and rogue nations are using new generations of malware to attack large organizations. The attackers also are demanding higher ransom payments, the report notes. This doesn’t mean small and medium … Continue reading "Insurance Journal reports ransomware attacks ‘skyrocket’ Q1 2019" Read More

The fictitious “Ransomware, Inc.” CEO returns to give another “Annual Shareholder” presentation

May 13, 2019 Our fictitious “Ransomware, Inc.” CEO is back – with his 2019 edition of an “Annual Shareholders Meeting” presentation. This very popular presentation by the real-life CEO of ImageQuest, Milton Bartley, adopts the perspective of a presentation to investors in the fictitious malware company called “Ransomware, Inc.” Milton’s lively and engaging presentation explains the origins and … Continue reading "The fictitious “Ransomware, Inc.” CEO returns to give another “Annual Shareholder” presentation" Read More

Baltimore hit with “very aggressive” RobbinHood ransomware

May 9, 2019 The city of Baltimore is battling a “very aggressive” cyber attack from “RobbinHood” ransomware. Fortunately, it hasn’t affected emergency services, city officials said, but it has knocked out online payments, city records systems, email, and phone systems. Democratic City Council President Brandon Scott told the Baltimore Sun the city IT office made some changes in … Continue reading "Baltimore hit with “very aggressive” RobbinHood ransomware" Read More