Last January in Georgia, Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts discovered himself in a showdown watching criminals he could not see. The county was under a ransomware attack; the results have been widespread.
“Everything. Things you’re taking without any consideration. Going to the library to take a look at a guide — could not do it. Getting a wedding license, checking in your taxes — could not do it,” Pitts mentioned, including that it felt like they have been being “held hostage.”
Ransomware criminals are within the extortion enterprise — they hack a company’s community, lock up the info, and demand a ransom for the keys. Last 12 months, ransomware hackers walked away with a file $1 billion, and based on cybersecurity firm Coveware, the variety of organizations that pay has fallen from over 80% to solely about 30%.
When the ransomware assault hit Fulton County, the stakes could not have been larger. Five months earlier, former President Donald Trump and 18 others had been charged there in reference to allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 election. The hackers claimed to have secret paperwork from the case and threatened to make them public.
They have been asking for “a number of a number of a number of hundreds of thousands of {dollars},” Pitts mentioned.
Bryan Vorndran, assistant director of the FBI’s cyber division, says the company would not “encourage organizations to pay the ransom,” however understands not paying can have “important ramifications” on the enterprise or group.
“The FBI sometimes doesn’t become involved in negotiating with ransomware actors,” Vorndran mentioned.
A serious Russian-based ransomware syndicate referred to as LockBit took duty for the assault in Fulton County. Four months later, the feds indicted the group’s alleged ringleader, Dmitry Khorshev, who they are saying glided by the title “LockbitSupp” on-line.
CBS News scoured hacker chat rooms on-line till “LockbitSupp” lastly answered. He appeared involved concerning the FBI and mentioned that they had the mistaken man. He claimed to be “apolitical” and bragged he’s a wolf who “eats the weakest.”
“He is a formidable adversary, proper?” Vorndran mentioned. “But we now have actually good individuals within the FBI as effectively, and that is how we have been capable of get near him.”
LockBit ratcheted up its threats in Fulton County for weeks.
“Deadline primary got here and handed. Get one other name. Deadline quantity two handed,” Pitts mentioned.
But Pitts adopted the FBI’s recommendation and refused to pay the ransom.
“It’s taxpayers’ cash, and we definitely weren’t gonna play footloose and fancy-free with our taxpayers’ cash,” Pitts mentioned.
The hackers light away and Fulton County pieced its community again collectively, however Pitts is aware of it was a dangerous transfer.
“These will not be highschool children of their basement taking part in on a laptop computer. That’s not the case. This is huge, huge enterprise,” Pitts mentioned.
When requested if it may occur to Fulton County once more, he mentioned it completely may.
It was a roll of the cube that paid off — for now.
