There has been an update in the ransomware attack that ravaged the majority of Washington DC’s police surveillance camera footage in early 2017. At that time, ransomware removal experts opined that the attack’s objective was to squeeze out money for a one-time ransom.
However, recent court proceedings have shed light on the realization that the cybercriminals associated with the ransomware attack were far more eager and determined. The attackers’ objective was to use data from the police departments for spam email campaigns to proliferate their ransomware. According to ransomware removal reporters, two hackers from Romania were accused as the conspirators of the attack.
Due to the cyber-attack, it was noted by ransomware removal reporters that 187 cameras have been affected, 120 of which belong to the police department. At that time, the newly-elected president Donald Trump was expected to be sworn in to the presidency. Thus, the attack caused a major uproar in the national security community as an atmosphere of unease prevailed. However, the prosecutors have argued that the attack was unlikely to be meddling with the national security because the cybercriminals were not initially aware that their ransomware had entered the systems of police departments.
Luckily, according to the police departments, investigational data had not been misused or compromised. Though, ransomware removal analysts believe that these cyber-threats have cast a shadow of doubt on the capability of governments and organizations to tackle and respond to cyber-attacks effectively.
Interestingly, DC police stated that the cyber-attack blocked access to their system. The malware’s presence was realized when an official tried to sign-in to the system that monitored the camera footage. The official was greeted with a screen, acknowledging the hack with the title of ‘Cerber Ransomware’, and details regarding the encryption of multimedia files, IT assets and other key documents.
