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Ransomware Attack Paralyses St Louis Libraries as Hackers Demand Bitcoins

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

Fnord666 writes:

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 Scruffy Beard 2 on Wednesday January 25 2017, @04:50PM

    by Scruffy Beard 2 (6030) on Wednesday January 25 2017, @04:50PM (#458525)

    "Encrypt the filesystem" means that they scramble all of the files the user has access to in a specific way that only the attacker knows how to reverse.

    This can include online backups.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 25 2017, @05:05PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 25 2017, @05:05PM (#458532)

    That is why I pull backups, not push them.

    • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Wednesday January 25 2017, @05:24PM

      by Gaaark (41) on Wednesday January 25 2017, @05:24PM (#458540) Journal

      I always pull back.
      But then i push forward again.
      Then i do it again. And again.
      It's fun.

      Wait. What are we talking about?

      --
      --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --

    • (Score: 1) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Wednesday January 25 2017, @08:04PM

      by Scruffy Beard 2 (6030) on Wednesday January 25 2017, @08:04PM (#458625)

      I think pushing via sneakernet can be secure.