A malicious website initially set up to extort Attack.Ransom visitors to pay a cryptocurrency ransom Attack.Ransom has changed its course . Instead of demanding payment Attack.Ransom via Bitcoin , Ethereum , Bitcoin Cash or Litecoin in exchange for not leaking your password on the internet , the site now hijacks your computer ’ s processing power to mine cryptocurrency in the background . Designed as a copy of the Have I Been Pwned attack , the site began by asking users to enter their emails to see if their password has been compromised Attack.Databreach . Unfortunately , if your password was breached Attack.Databreach , the site demanded Attack.Ransom a “ donation ” of $ 10 by cryptocurrency to not publish your password in plain text on the web . Up to 1.4 billion passwords may have been breached Attack.Databreach , but it ’ s unclear how accurate that figure is . However , because it may be easier — and safer — to change your password than pay the ransom Attack.Ransom , as The Next Web noted , the site shifted its focus from demanding ransomware payments Attack.Ransom to taking over your PC ’ s processing power to mine for cryptocurrency in the background . The publication also confirmed that the malicious site did “ have a database with legitimate passwords , ” but that not all compromised passwords were stored in plain text . The Next Web did not reveal the site ’ s address in its report , citing security reasons , but noted that it doesn ’ t appear that any user had made payment . This is the latest ransomware in recent months that demand Attack.Ransom cryptocurrency as a form of payment . Prior to this incident Attack.Ransom , Thanatos encrypted files on a user ’ s PC by hijacking it using a brute force method . If you want to regain access to those files , you had to send payment Attack.Ransom via cryptocurrency to get a key to decrypt your files . However , at the time , there didn ’ t appear to be a proper decryption key even if you paid . According to a recent Google report , extortionists made out with $ 25 million in just two years , and cryptocurrency was the preferred way to get paid Attack.Ransom . Hackers are also changing the game when it comes to data theft Attack.Databreach . Rather than leaking Attack.Databreach the information to the dark markets , an IBM X-Force Intelligence Index report revealed that hackers prefer to hold files hostage in exchange for a ransom payment Attack.Ransom .

In the wake of Hurricane Florence disaster , ONWASA , a water utility company has been specifically targeted by cyber criminals . ONWASA provides water and sewer service to all of Onslow County except Jacksonville residents . According to a press release , ONWASA 's internal computer system , including servers and personal computers , have been subjected to a sophisticated ransomware attack Attack.Ransom . The attack has left the utility with limited computer capabilities . CEO Jeffrey Hudson said customer information was not compromised Attack.Databreach in the attack Attack.Databreach . However , many other databases must be recreated in their entirety . ONWASA is working with the FBI , the Department of Homeland Security , the state of North Carolina and several technology security companies . They are also receiving help from N.C . Senator Harry Brown and N.C . Senator Thom Tillis . Hudson said he believes the attack was a targeted one because the hackers chose a local government that has recently been ransacked by a natural disaster . The hackers struck at 3 a.m. on Saturday -- a time Hudson says was their most vulnerable . The attack is similar in nature to the one experienced in Mecklenburg County last year . Hudson said the damage the attack caused could take weeks or even months to fix . According to ONWASA , the company had multiple layers of computer protection in place , including firewalls and malware/anti-virus software . The defenses of the computer systems at the main office were penetrated . ONWASA has received one email from the cyber criminals , who may be based in a foreign country . The email is consistent with ransomware attacks Attack.Ransom of other governments and corporations . Ransom monies would be used to fund criminal , and perhaps terrorist activities in other countries . There is no expectation that a ransom payment Attack.Ransom would stop future attacks . The cyber attackers are demanding payment Attack.Ransom to decrypt everything that was stolen . ONWASA said it will not `` negotiate with criminals nor bow to their demands Attack.Ransom . '' Instead , ONWASA will rebuild its databases and computer systems from the ground up .