Posted by: TAZ Networks on November 10, 2016 at 12:32 pm
No services were disrupted, but the Lansing Board of Water and Light was hit with a major ransomware attack that cost them millions – including the ransom.
Ever wonder about the fallout from a ransomware attack? Lansing Board of Water & Light was hit last spring and filed a $1.9 million dollar insurance claim, plus a $100,000 deductible, plus another $500,000 in uncovered costs. On top of all that, they paid the ransom of $25,000.
Total price? $2,525,000
How did they get infected? Just a simple email like we see every day, but with a bad attachment. (Here are a couple of examples of how to detect a bad email.)
We don’t know why Lansing BWL wasn’t able to recover their data and restore their network without paying the ransom, but it’s a sober warning to all businesses about the importance of excellent data backups and knowing what you’re opening.
More About Ransom Ware:
“How Your Firewall Protects You From Ransomware”
“Why So Much Talk About Ransomware?”
“FBI Says NOT to Pay Ransomware”
Source: Lansing State Journal