Bitcoin ransomware attackers are reportedly publicly shaming and threatening to expose victims who won’t pay the ransom price.
According to a report by KrebsOnSecurity, at least one popular crypto ransomware group has created a public website identifying companies that chose to rebuild their web operation following an attack, rather than paying the ransom.
The report identified the public shamers as the group behind the Maze Ransomware, which was responsible for the Pensacola web attack last week which asked for a $1 million in bitcoin ransom. Cybersecurity experts advise against paying any ransom, as there’s no guarantee the attackers will decrypt victims’ files after the payment has been sent.
As CryptoGlobe recently reported, there are even cases of cryptocurrency ransomware extortionists losing control of their own decryption tools.
The website, which is publicly available, provides information on the date of the attack, the nature of the files stolen and the IP addresses of those affected. The site also tells visitors to “wait for their databases and private papers here.” KrebsOnSecurity claims that at least one company gave in to the pressure of the public shaming and paid the ransom in order to avoid being out on the website.
Crypto-based ransomware attacks have been on the rise in 2019. Just last weekend, the city of New Orleans was forced to declare a state of emergency and shut down its computers following an attack.
Beginning at 5am today, suspicious activity was detected on the City’s network. As technicians investigated, activity indicating a cybersecurity incident was detected around 11am and as a precaution, the City’s IT department began powering down servers and City computers.
— NOLA Ready (@nolaready) December 13, 2019
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