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Ransomware gang demands $5.3 million from New Bedford; city restores from backup instead

September 5, 2019

A ransomware gang looking to get rich overnight went to the city of New Bedford with a demand of $5.3 million after infecting the municipality’s systems. The criminals refused a counter-offer that would make many hackers drool. And instead ended up with nothing.

One July night, according to New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, the attackers infected the city’s IT network with Ryuk, a prominent strain of ransomware. 158 workstations had been encrypted when IT administrators discovered the attack on the morning of July 5, Mitchell said at a press conference yesterday.

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