A bitcoin ransomware attack has recently hit a data center in Argentina that houses local government files, and managed to encrypt a decade’s worth of data that has been started to be decrypted.
According to an interview by the country’s Minister of Science and Technology Alicia Bañuelos with the local news outlet Agencia de Noticias de San Luis, a total of 7,700 GB worth of data were originally encrypted, but so far around 90% of that data has reportedly been recovered.
Bañuelos was quoted as saying:
Bitcoin ransomware attack in Argentina encrypts a decade's worth of government files.
As reported by The Next Web, the attack occurred on November 25 and the exact size of the demanded BTC ransom isn’t known. Reports suggest it was somewhere between 0.5 and 50 BTC, or between $37,000 and $370,000.
Ransomware extortionists appear to be somewhat active over the last few weeks, as they’ve recently managed to hit Spain’s largest radio network Cadena SER, demanding a total of $827,00 worth of bitcoin to decrypt its systems. The attack initially hit a popular IT company called Everis, one of the country’s largest service providers.
Back in July a county in Indiana decided to pay ransomware attackers around $130,000 in BTC to have its systems decrypted, amid a plethora of attackers that forced two cities in Florida – Riviera Beach and Lake City – to pay thousands to the attackers as well.
Featured image via Unsplash.
