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to compromise the networks of multiple US victims , including 2016 attacks on healthcare facilities that were running outdated versions of the JBoss content management application , '' the FBI says .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 .

BALTIMORE — The hack that forced Baltimore ’ s 911 dispatch system to be temporarily shut down over the weekend was a ransomware attack, Attack.Ransom city officials said Wednesday . Such a ttacks Attack.Ransom — another of which occurred in Atlanta last week — take over parts of private or municipal computer networks and then d emand payment, Attack.Ransom or r ansom, Attack.Ransom for their release . Frank Johnson , chief information officer in the Mayor ’ s Office of Information Technology , said he was not aware of any specific r ansom request Attack.Ransom made by the hackers of Baltimore ’ s network , but federal authorities are investigating . “ The systems and the software and the files are all being investigated by the FBI right now , ” Johnson said . No personal data of city residents w as compromised, Attack.Databreach he added . Dave Fitz , an FBI spokesman , could not be reached Wednesday . On Tuesday , Fitz said the agency was aware of the breach and providing assistance to the city , but otherwise declined to comment . The attack infiltrated a server that runs the city ’ s computer-aided dispatch , or CAD , system for 911 and 311 calls . The system automatically populates 911 callers ’ locations on maps and dispatches the closest emergency responders there more seamlessly than is possible with manual dispatching . It also relays information to first responders in some cases and logs information for data retention and records . The breach shut down the CAD system from Sunday morning until Monday morning , forcing the city to revert to manual dispatching during that time . While the city ’ s 911 calls are normally recorded online on Open Baltimore , the city dispatch logs stopped recording them at 9:54 a.m. Sunday and didn ’ t resume recording them again until 7:42 a.m. Monday . Johnson said the attack was made possible after a city information technology team troubleshooting a separate communications issue with the server inadvertently changed a firewall and left a port , or a channel to the Internet , open for about 24 hours , and hackers who were likely running automated scans of networks looking for such vulnerabilities f ound Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability it and gained access . The Baltimore hack comes amid increasing hacking of municipal systems across the country , and follows one in Atlanta last week that paralyzed that city ’ s online bill-payment system , with hackers d emanding Attack.Ransom a $ 51,000 p ayment Attack.Ransom in bitcoin to unlock it . T hat attack Attack.Ransom occurred Thursday , and Atlanta employees only turned their computers back on Tuesday . Johnson said his office works diligently to prevent cyberattacks and is looking to invest more in safeguarding its networks . Baltimore also faced cyberattacks during the unrest in 2015 , when its website was taken offline . Johnson said he was unaware of any other successful attacks on the city ’ s networks . He said the city would be obligated to disclose any a ttacks Attack.Databreach that c ompromised Attack.Databreach residents ’ personal information , health information or crime data . Johnson said he feels the city recovered well from the breach once it was identified , but that he did not want to go into detail about what was done lest he expose the city to more attacks . The city has a $ 2.5 million contract with TriTech Software Systems to maintain its CAD software and provide “ technical support services to ensure the functional integrity ” of the city ’ s CAD system . Scott MacDonald , TriTech ’ s vice president of public safety strategy , said the company worked with city IT personnel to shut down the CAD software after the attack . The breach was not related to the company ’ s software , MacDonald said . “ Our techs connected and worked with the IT staff there , and the CAD system was taken down manually , in combination between our staff and theirs , while the servers could be troubleshooted by the city . ”

BALTIMORE — The hack that forced Baltimore ’ s 911 dispatch system to be temporarily shut down over the weekend was a ransomware attack, Attack.Ransom city officials said Wednesday . Such a ttacks Attack.Ransom — another of which occurred in Atlanta last week — take over parts of private or municipal computer networks and then d emand payment, Attack.Ransom or r ansom, Attack.Ransom for their release . Frank Johnson , chief information officer in the Mayor ’ s Office of Information Technology , said he was not aware of any specific r ansom request Attack.Ransom made by the hackers of Baltimore ’ s network , but federal authorities are investigating . “ The systems and the software and the files are all being investigated by the FBI right now , ” Johnson said . No personal data of city residents w as compromised, Attack.Databreach he added . Dave Fitz , an FBI spokesman , could not be reached Wednesday . On Tuesday , Fitz said the agency was aware of the breach and providing assistance to the city , but otherwise declined to comment . The attack infiltrated a server that runs the city ’ s computer-aided dispatch , or CAD , system for 911 and 311 calls . The system automatically populates 911 callers ’ locations on maps and dispatches the closest emergency responders there more seamlessly than is possible with manual dispatching . It also relays information to first responders in some cases and logs information for data retention and records . The breach shut down the CAD system from Sunday morning until Monday morning , forcing the city to revert to manual dispatching during that time . While the city ’ s 911 calls are normally recorded online on Open Baltimore , the city dispatch logs stopped recording them at 9:54 a.m. Sunday and didn ’ t resume recording them again until 7:42 a.m. Monday . Johnson said the attack was made possible after a city information technology team troubleshooting a separate communications issue with the server inadvertently changed a firewall and left a port , or a channel to the Internet , open for about 24 hours , and hackers who were likely running automated scans of networks looking for such vulnerabilities f ound Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability it and gained access . The Baltimore hack comes amid increasing hacking of municipal systems across the country , and follows one in Atlanta last week that paralyzed that city ’ s online bill-payment system , with hackers d emanding Attack.Ransom a $ 51,000 p ayment Attack.Ransom in bitcoin to unlock it . T hat attack Attack.Ransom occurred Thursday , and Atlanta employees only turned their computers back on Tuesday . Johnson said his office works diligently to prevent cyberattacks and is looking to invest more in safeguarding its networks . Baltimore also faced cyberattacks during the unrest in 2015 , when its website was taken offline . Johnson said he was unaware of any other successful attacks on the city ’ s networks . He said the city would be obligated to disclose any a ttacks Attack.Databreach that c ompromised Attack.Databreach residents ’ personal information , health information or crime data . Johnson said he feels the city recovered well from the breach once it was identified , but that he did not want to go into detail about what was done lest he expose the city to more attacks . The city has a $ 2.5 million contract with TriTech Software Systems to maintain its CAD software and provide “ technical support services to ensure the functional integrity ” of the city ’ s CAD system . Scott MacDonald , TriTech ’ s vice president of public safety strategy , said the company worked with city IT personnel to shut down the CAD software after the attack . The breach was not related to the company ’ s software , MacDonald said . “ Our techs connected and worked with the IT staff there , and the CAD system was taken down manually , in combination between our staff and theirs , while the servers could be troubleshooted by the city . ”