Texas Refuses To Pay Ransomware After Coordinated Attack

Information Security Buzz
Monday, September 9, 2019

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A coordinated ransomware attack hit 22 Texas local governments, but none of the impacted municipalities paid the ransom demand, which was $2.5 million collective, to be paid in Bitcoin.

Ilia Kolochenko, Founder and CEO, ImmuniWeb

Most likely the burden will again fall on the taxpayers' shoulders and largely surpass the ransom demanded.

In a short term prospective the decision may be questionable and cost-unconscious. Someone has to pay for dozens of agencies and their personnel to “rebuild networks from scratch” as reported. Most likely the burden will again fall on the taxpayers' shoulders and largely surpass the ransom demanded. It’s like SWAT saying we won’t negotiate with terrorists after shooting the hostages.

However, given that no human lives are at stake, in a long term prospective, such rigid tactics may well disincentivize the attackers. This will, however, not resolve the root cause of the incident: lack of visibility across digital assets, poorly implemented fundamentals of security (e.g. proper backup management) and security skills shortage. These essentials need to be addressed without further delay. Read Full Article