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posted by on Wednesday January 25 2017, @09:51AM   Printer-friendly
from the we-don't-negotiate-with-terrorists dept.

Apparently it's the library's turn to pay a fine.

Libraries in St Louis have been bought to a standstill after computers in all the city's libraries were infected with ransomware, a particularly virulent form of computer virus used to extort money from victims.

Hackers are demanding $35,000 (£28,000) to restore the system after the cyberattack, which affected 700 computers across the Missouri city's 16 public libraries. The hackers demanded the money in electronic currency bitcoin, but, as CNN reports, the authority has refused to pay for a code that would unlock the machines.

As a result, the library authority has said it will wipe its entire computer system and rebuild it from scratch, a solution that may take weeks.


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  • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Wednesday January 25 2017, @11:06PM

    by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday January 25 2017, @11:06PM (#458709) Homepage Journal

    They have 700 computers. That alone might take weeks.

    If they haven't backed up their entire membership base, it would be hopeless to restore it in muerely a few weeks. Even so, I imagine there will be trouble knowing who has borrowed or returned specific books after the last backup.

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