Original title: the office system was' hacked 'and a small American town paid a ransom of $600000 to hackers
According to the Hong Kong public network reported on the 21st, the Rivera Beach City Council in Florida agreed on the 17th to pay a ransom of US $600000 (about 4.11 million yuan) to hackers who intruded into local computer systems, the latest in thousands of cases of trying to blackmail governments or enterprises around the world.
According to reports, Rivera Beach City Council believes that if you want to save the data encrypted by hackers, you have no choice but to pay ransom. In addition, the city council has voted to spend nearly $1 million on new computers and hardware.
Three weeks ago, an employee in riverbeach opened an e-mail link that allows hackers to upload malicious programs, leading to the intrusion of the computer system. In addition to the encrypted data, the problems faced by the city authorities also include the failure of the e-mail system, the payment can only be made through check transactions rather than direct transfer, and the inability of emergency 911 telephone dispatchers to input the telephone into the computer.
Brown, a spokesman for the city, said on the 19th that the local government has been trying to seek help from external security advisers, who advised them to pay ransom. At the same time, she also admitted that there is no guarantee that hackers will decrypt these materials after receiving the money. It is reported that the money will be paid through insurance, while the FBI said it 'does not support' paying hackers.
It is reported that in recent years, hacking incidents against the U.S. government and enterprises have been increasing. In May, Baltimore refused to pay a ransom of $76000 to hackers. In 2018, the US government also sued two hackers who sent more than 200 malicious blackmail software in Atlanta, Newark and New Jersey. The two extorted more than US $6 million, causing us $30 million in losses to the local computer system.