Ransomware Virus Incidents | Honorable / Dishonorable Hackers

Learn about the latest incidents and more importantly learn if the responsible hackers returned the files back to normal after the ransom money was paid.

DO NOT PAY THE RANSOM TO DISHONORABLE HACKERS

Background

Latest IT / Cyber Security / Cyber Attack News 11/4/2018

Ransomware Viruses are on the rise, clients have been reporting more incidents in 2018 than in any previous years. It is now super critical for all clients to (1) double check on their backups and validate them. (2) ensure you have several types of backups, such as cloud, and local external drive backups. (3) ensure your devices have adequate antivirus protection (4) and practice safe internet usage protocols, which means do not open attachments from anyone (including the people you know), try not to browse to websites which are unknown and random.

In the past several months two clients, have reported that all of their files, work documents and work applications, which maintain all their work client lists, client details, patient details, account payables etc, have all become useless and inaccessible, after realizing that their computers have become compromised, hacked, and hit with ransomware virus’s that have encrypted all of their files, with Ransome demand letters from the hackers.

Unfortunately for various reasons, our clients did not have backups, and or their backups were compromised as well, thus left with the only choice to pay the Ransome demands, which are usually in the range of 1 Bitcoin, approximately $5000 to $6500 per bitcoin. In both cases, both clients paid the Ransome demand amounts, and in one incident the hacker was honorable at the end and provided the decryption program which restores all the files back to normal working condition. And on the second incident, the hacker was not honorable and did not provide the decryption reversal tool.

Thus, for these reasons, at Planet Cyber IT Services we decided to start a new section on our website, to expose, inform, and educate the public on various ransomware incidents, and to most importantly also let the public know, of hackers whom are honorable, and hackers whom are dishonored since they did not provide the reversal decryption tool, after being paid.

We look forward to growing this list and to exposing both honorable and dishonorable hackers. We welcome other clients, victims, and cybersecurity experts to email us their incidents details so that we can add more to this list.   To report new incidents, or if you have any questions please emails us at info@planetcyber.net.