A US city has refused to provide the amount requested by a ransomware gang

A team hackers realized ransomware attack in New Bedford, Massachusetts and asked 5,3 million to decrypt the data. However city refused to give this amount and said it could only give 400.000 dollars. The hackers refused the offer and city officials decided to recover the files from backups.

The attack happened in early July, but details became known yesterday, when New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell held a press conference describing the incident and how the city dealt with it.

Only 4% of city systems were affected

Η attack ransomware took place at night between 4 and 5 July.

The hackers violated the city network and installed it Ryuk, This makes it a perfect choice for people with diabetes and for those who want to lose weight or follow a balanced diet. the most widespread ransomware of the season, used to carry out targeted attacks.

The ransomware spread through the city's network so they were encrypted archives on 158 workstations, that is, 4% of the city's total computers.

The fact that the attack was carried out at night, with most of the city's systems closed, is positive, according to police. And it was positive because ransomware could not spread all over it network.

The city's IT staff discovered the ransomware attack the next morning and rushed to disconnect all infected computers from the city network, so that the virus does not spread.

The attacker had left a communication email, so city officials contacted him while the attack was still ongoing.

The attacker responded and said he would "unlock" the encrypted files if the city gave him 5.3 million dollars.

It is the largest sum of money requested after a ransomware attack. The city did not pay the sum, mainly because it did not have the money.

The mayor knew from the outset that the city did not have these funds, but decided to start a conversation and negotiation with the attackers to give IT more time. staff to strengthen the defense of the city and reduce the chances of a second continuous attack.

Mayor Mitchell decided to bid on the hackers and give them 400,000 dollarsthat is, those who have paid other cities that have faced such an incident. However, the attackers turned down the offer.

So there was no agreement, the mayor of New Bedford decided to recover the files from the copies security.

The recovery process was not very difficult because ransomware did not affect many files nor one very important system.

In recent months, several US cities have been targeted by ransomware gangs (Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and others).