RobbinHood Ransomware Another Reason To Back Up Your Systems

The creators of the dreaded 'Robbinhood' ransomware strain are putting their reputation to work for them.  The hackers have recently modified their ransom note in a couple of important ways.

First and foremost, they stress that there's no public decryption tool currently available to recover files encrypted by RobbinHood and that they are monitoring the situation to make sure that the company impacted by the malware does not contact law enforcement.  Any attempt to do so "will damage your files," the warning reads.

Those two recent additions are bad enough on their own, but the hackers took an additional step. They are now directing victims to a web search highlighting an incident that occurred in Greenville North Carolina and another that impacted servers in the city of Baltimore.

Robbinhood was used in both attacks, and while the ransoms demanded in both cases weren't excessive (less than $100,000 initially demanded), the aftershocks arising from those attacks wound up costing the city millions.  In fact, according to CBS Baltimore, the city "put more than $18 million into the attack."

Clearly, the recent changes to the ransom note used by the attackers is aimed at convincing those impacted by their malware to pay up and keep quiet.  How well that will ultimately work remains to be seen, but at this point, the hackers are correct.  There is no public decryption tool.

What they don't mention, of course, is the fact paying the ransom isn't the only way to recover encrypted files.  If your company is in the habit of making good, complete backups at regular intervals, then a ransomware attack doesn't have to be devastating.  With a proper, timely response, it could be little more than an inconvenience.  Naturally, the hackers don't want to draw attention to this, but it is something you and your IT staff should keep very much in mind.

Call SpartanTec Inc. in Wilmington now and let our team set up a business continuity strategy that's suitable for your business needs. We offer reliable data backup and computer hard drive backup services, which can help lessen the effects of ransomware attacks like RobbinHood on your business. 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Wilmington, NC 28412
(910) 218-9255

https://spartantec-wilmingtonnc.business.site/

Ransomware Sets Sights On Healthcare Organizations

A string of hospitals in both the US and Australia have come under attack by hackers in recent weeks. They have been targeted by ransomware attacks that have effectively shut a number of them down.  As of the time this article was written, the Northport Medical center, Fayette Medical Center, and DCH Regional Medical Center in Alabama have only limited access to their computing systems.

A spokesman for the hospitals had this to say about the attack:

"The three hospitals of the DCH Health System have experienced a ransomware attack.  A criminal is limiting our ability to use our computer systems in exchange for an as-yet-unknown payment. That said, we feel it is in the best interest of patient safety that DCH Regional Medical Center, Northport Medical Center and Fayette Medical center are closed to all but the most critical new patients.  Our staff is caring for the patients who are currently in the hospital and we have no plans to transfer current patients. Unfortunately, the damage to our computer system was such that we are unable to recover the data stored there and, with our backup system encrypted as well, we cannot rebuild our medical records."

The situation is hardly better in Australia, where a total of seven hospitals were impacted.

A spokesman for the hospitals in Australia had this to say:

"The cyber incident, which was uncovered on Monday, has blocked access to several systems by the infiltration of ransomware, including financial management...Hospitals have isolated and disconnected a number of systems such as internet to quarantine the infection."

Like the American hospitals, the infected Australian hospitals have lost access to their patient records, booking and management systems and have fallen back to keeping manual records to maintain some level of functionality.

This is a serious, coordinated attack and is no doubt a harbinger of things to come.  Lives are very definitely at risk and unfortunately, as the hackers refine their approach, their attacks are only going to get more devastating.  Dark times.

Hackers are becoming more clever and strategic when it comes to infiltrating the devices and networks of their victims. Don't fall prey to them. Protect your devices and your personal or business information. Call SpartanTec, Inc. in Wilmington and let our IT consulting team help you.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Wilmington, NC 28412
(910) 218-9255

https://spartantec-wilmingtonnc.business.site/