A global ransomware attack has affected the Florida Supreme Court and several universities in the US and Europe. Over 3,800 victims have fallen prey to this fast-spreading digital extortion campaign that locked thousands of servers in Europe over the weekend. This campaign was not sophisticated but drew warnings from national cyber watchdogs because of the speed of its spread. Ransomwhere, a crowdsourced platform that tracks digital extortion attempts, reported that the cybercriminals had extorted $88,000, a modest amount compared to the multi-million dollar ransoms regularly demanded by some hacking gangs.
Reuters attempted to contact the hackers via an account advertised on their ransom notes but only received a payment demand in return. The Florida Supreme Court and the twelve universities contacted, including the Georgia Institute of Technology, Rice University, and institutions of higher learning in Hungary and Slovakia, did not respond to messages. The extent of the disruption caused to these organizations is not clear.
VMWare, the company exploited by the ransomware, has urged its customers to upgrade to the latest versions of its software. The ransomware attack is thought to have exploited a two-year-old vulnerability in VMWare’s software. The founder of a French internet scanning company, Onyphe, stated that this is not unusual, but the difference is the scale.
Unlike previous ransomware attacks, this was highly visible because internet-facing servers were affected. Researchers and tracking services like Ransomwhere and Onyphe could easily follow the criminals’ trail. The digital safety officials in Italy have reported no evidence pointing to aggression by a state or hostile state-like entity. The Finnish National Cyber Security Centre has reported that a criminal gang likely carried out the attack. However, it was not particularly sophisticated as many victims could recover their data without paying a ransom.
Cybersecurity expert Samuli Könönen stated that more experienced ransomware groups usually do not make the mistake of not being sophisticated. This ransomware attack warns organizations to take the necessary precautions to protect their servers and databases. Upgrading to the latest software versions, backing up data regularly, and implementing strong cybersecurity measures are essential steps to prevent falling prey to such attacks.
In conclusion, the global ransomware attack affecting the Florida Supreme Court and several universities is a reminder of the importance of being proactive in implementing strong cybersecurity measures. With the increasing frequency of cyberattacks, organizations must take the necessary steps to protect their servers and data.
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Ransomware outbreak hits Florida Supreme Court, U.S. and European universities