Ransomware Takes Over MUNI
About a week ago on November 29th, The San Francisco Railway System was hacked in an interesting fashion. With the new uprising in certain attack vectors for Ransomware, it is becoming more common for you to be at risk to this type attack.
Ransomware : a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid.
San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency, also known as MUNI, offered free rides on November 26th after MUNI station payment systems and schedule monitors got hacked by Ransomware and station screens across the city started displaying a message that reads:
According to the San Francisco Examiner, MUNI confirmed a Ransomware attack against the station fare systems, which caused them to shut down ticket kiosks and make rides free this weekend. The hacker in control of that email account said he had compromised thousands of computers at the SFMTA, scrambling the files on those systems with strong encryption. The files encrypted by his Ransomware, he said, could only be decrypted with a special digital key, and that key would cost 100 Bitcoins, approximately $73,000.
Oddly enough this email and form of hack the hacker was implementing had been involved in many other hacks this year. The same email address, [email protected], was linked to a Ransomware strain called MAMBA in September. The Ransomware employs tactics similar to those demonstrated against the MUNI systems.
If you read further on the article many other cyber security experts and follower have come forward with further information on other hacks this cyber criminal has committed.