The Managing Director of a company h eld to ransom Attack.Ransom by hackers has warned other bosses to protect themselves against cyber crooks − or run the risk of web sharks crippling their businesses . Stuart Kettell − owner of audio-visual specialist Kettell Video Productions − was targeted by tech scammers who infiltrated his firm ’ s IT systems with malware that infected its network of files . They d emanded Attack.Ransom £1,000 initially in Bitcoins to decrypt the malicious software − and warned that failure to p ay Attack.Ransom would render the files permanently inaccessible . Thankfully Stuart routinely backs-up all company systems − and even backs up the back-ups − so survived the online attack relatively unscathed . But he ’ s warned that without the archive of replicas his entire business could have collapsed . He said : “ I noticed all my photos , videos and pdf files ghosting to white with a new filename…it attacked my desktop first then it wormed its way into folders one file at a time every few seconds . “ I ’ ve no idea how the malware was introduced as we use software that ’ s designed to prevent against such attacks . And t he demand for payment Attack.Ransom seemed very professional : I was given links where I could buy Bitcoins and even offered the chance to decrypt one file for free ! “ I unplugged my computer , isolated it from the internet , and ran some anti-malware software to stop the virus spreading further . “ It was scary : I had no idea about cyber-attacks before and really didn ’ t know what to do . Critical files , including images and videos for clients , were wiped out along with a lifetime of personal memories . “ The affected files were lost for good − the only way to recover them was with the key code held by the blackmailer − but luckily I back-up everything to an external data cartridge . In the end it was more an inconvenience…but it could have threatened the business . “ I would strongly urge all business owners to back-up their essential files . '' Sergeant Gary Sirrell from the cybercrime team at West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit said commercial web attacks are increasingly being committed against smaller firms and not big multi-nationals . He explained : “ Small and medium sized companies are easier targets : they often don ’ t have the resources or expertise to protect against cyberattacks . And if they are targeted , the impact can be devastating . “ But there are steps business owners can take to mitigate the risk . A really effective tactic involves ‘ layering ’ defences to include a firewall , anti-malware software , staff training and regular re-training ) around phishing email awareness , and finally to p lug Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability any holes in your defences by u pdating Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability software patches and updates in a timely manner . “ By exercising good cyber hygiene , and having a strong backup policy , Stuart avoided the dilemma of whether to see his business significantly damaged , or to have to hand over a ransom Attack.Ransom to organised crime gangs to get his data unlocked . “ If more businesses in the West Midlands proactively took such steps there would be significantly fewer crimes victims . ''

S amSam ransomware attacks Attack.Ransom are on the rise and operators a re demanding Attack.Ransom more than ever from their victims , researchers have warned . Ransomware , a kind of malware which locks infected systems , encrypts files and d emands a payment Attack.Ransom in return for decryption , can be debilitating for businesses . Without access to core networks and systems , many firms and organizations w ill pay up Attack.Ransom rather than suffer through disruption which can be far more costly in the long run . Consumers also face the same issue , albeit on a personal scale , and while security experts caution that paying up only funds this kind of cybercrime , losing access to your files , photos , and media can be devastating . When p ayment demands Attack.Ransom are a few hundred dollars or so , victims may be more inclined to p ay the fee. Attack.Ransom However , the SamSam ransomware i s now demanding Attack.Ransom far more than the average person would be able to raise . Written in C # , SamSam is usually installed after an unpatched , known server vulnerability i s exploited. Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability It is believed the threat actors behind the ransomware are relatively new to e xtortion, Attack.Ransom having spent the last few years gradually scaling up t heir demands. Attack.Ransom The ransomware caught the attention of the FBI last year , resulting in two alerts being issued . `` MSIL or Samas ( SAMSAM ) was used to compromise the networks of multiple US victims , including 2016 attacks on healthcare facilities that were running outdated versions of the JBoss content management application , '' the FBI says . `` SAMSAM exploits vulnerable Java-based Web servers . SAMSAM uses open-source tools to identify and compile a list of hosts reporting to the victim 's active directory . '' `` The actors then use psexec.exe to distribute the malware to each host on the network and encrypt most of the files on the system , '' the FBI added . `` The actors c harge Attack.Ransom varying amounts in Bitcoin to provide the decryption keys to the victim . '' According to AlientVault researchers , the ransomware is more akin to a targeted attack than opportunistic ransomware . After being installed on one machine , the ransomware propagates and spreads to any others in the network . SamSam attacks can result in web shell deployment , batch script usage for running the malware over multiple machines , remote access , and tunneling . The ransomware has recently been updated , and will now d emand Attack.Ransom different p ayments Attack.Ransom depending on the scope of infection . If one machine has been infected , 1.7 Bitcoin ( BTC ) , roughly $ 4,600 , i s demanded. Attack.Ransom If more machines are locked by the ransomware , half will be decrypted for 6 BTC ( $ 16,400 ) , and for all of them , a total of 12 BTC , or $ 32,800 , i s demanded. Attack.Ransom Last week 's a ttacks Attack.Ransom appear to have been successful , with $ 33,000 b eing paid Attack.Ransom to a Bitcoin wallet associated with SamSam . While SamSam is not the most sophisticated kind of ransomware out there , the successful exploit of victims reminds us that this malware is out in the wild . Like so many other kinds of ransomware , however , keeping systems patched and up-to-date can prevent infection . An NYC hospital w as forced Attack.Ransom to either p ay Attack.Ransom $ 44,000 to SamSam operators or lose access to their systems after a successful infection . However , the organization refused to capitulate to the hacker 's d emands Attack.Ransom and instead endured a month of disruption before the hospital 's systems were restored . Another ransomware variant which has hit the headlines is WannaCry . After striking down hospitals and businesses across the globe , the Windows-based malware is yet to finish its rampage , with an estimated 300,000 victims worldwide .

It 's been a week since hackers launched a ransomware attack Attack.Ransom against the city of Atlanta , and local officials are still grappling with its effects . `` We are dealing with a hostage situation , '' Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a statement . On Thursday , municipal courts were closed again and residents were unable to pay their traffic tickets or water bills online . In some cases , employees had to fill out urgent forms and reports by hand , CNN reported . The city allowed its employees to turn on their work computers and printers for the first time on Wednesday , although officials warned that some computers may still be affected . In a ransomware attack, Attack.Ransom hackers place malware on a computer — or system of computers — that restricts access , and then d emand payment Attack.Ransom to undo it . The culprits h ave demanded Attack.Ransom the city of Atlanta p ay Attack.Ransom them $ 51,000 in bitcoin to unlock the government 's encrypted systems . Bottoms would not say whether the city would meet their request . Atlanta officials — along with local law enforcement , the FBI , the Department of Homeland Security , and Secret Service — are said to be working round-the-clock on the matter to investigate whether any government data or anybody 's personal information w as compromised. Attack.Databreach An information portal has been set up on the city government 's website to keep residents and employees updated on the latest developments of the hack . Officials from Atlanta Information Management , the city 's technology department , realized the city had been attacked on March 22 . As a result , officials said , `` some city data is encrypted and customers are not able to access city applications . '' This has mostly prevented people from using online applications to pay bills and access court-related information . Although Atlanta officials have not yet identified those behind the attack , an Atlanta-based security firm called Dell SecureWorks , which is helping the city investigate the attack , pointed to a group called SamSam , according to The New York Times . It is not clear who is part of the group or where it is based . On Monday , Mayor Bottoms held a news conference to reassure the public that the city was doing everything in its power to restore its systems , but cautioned people against taking the matter lightly . `` I just want to make the point that this is much bigger than a ransomware attack, Attack.Ransom `` Bottoms said . `` This is really an attack on our government , which means it 's an attack on all of us . ''

The engineering firm refused to meet the hackers ’ d emands Attack.Ransom and the Daily Echo understands it lost access to vital data including personal information about its staff , who number around 100 . Businesses have been warned that such ‘ ransomware’ attacks Attack.Ransom are on the rise and that companies need to train all staff to be vigilant . Police said an East Dorset company – which the Echo is not naming – had reported on June 1 that it was the victim of computer fraud . “ It was reported that their computer was hacked and a demand was made Attack.Ransom for £120,000 , ” a Dorset Police spokeswoman said . “ The victim was referred to Action Fraud to report. ” Ian Girling , chief executive of Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry , said : “ Cyber crime is on the increase and all companies are vulnerable to attack . “ What ’ s really important is that staff are trained because it ’ s quite often staff opening emails and dealing with stuff . Responsibility doesn ’ t just lie with IT departments . All staff need to be aware of the potential threat to the business . “ There are lots of good companies in Dorset to help businesses with this. ” The incident echoes t he WannaCry ransomware attack Attack.Ransom which infected an estimated 200,000 computers globally last year , including up to 70,000 in the NHS . Matt Horan , security director of C3IA Solutions in Poole – one of the first companies to be certified by the government ’ s National Cyber Security Centre – said : “ You s hould never pay a ransom Attack.Ransom because there is no guarantee you will get your data back . During an attack the data doesn ’ t go anywhere , it is just encrypted and you need a decryption key or algorithm to unlock it and get it back . “ If you p ay Attack.Ransom a criminal to return your data there is a good chance that he or she will take the money and not decrypt the data – or even a sk for more money. Attack.Ransom “ It ’ s important to back up all data and to ensure it ’ s backed up without the virus or ransomware in it . Therefore all backups should be virus checked prior to storage off-site. “ You do not want to clean your system of the malware only to re-introduce the same problem from your back-up . It ’ s also important to regularly check the back-up to ensure data can be recovered from it. ” General Sir Chris Deverell , commander of the UK ’ s Joint Forces Command , warned yesterday of cyber threats from abroad , which could target infrastructure such as power stations and air traffic control . “ We must make sure our cyber security is constantly improving , ” he said . “ It ’ s a very important thing and every sector of society is very focused on it . ”