Stratford City Hall Bitcoin Ransomware Attack Worth $75,000 Paid

Stratford City Hall ransomware attack that happened on April 14^th this year where more than 10 bitcoins were demanded has finally been paid as we can see today in the altcoin news below.

According to the reports, 10 bitcoins worth at $7500 per BTC was paid by the Stratford City Hall to the hacker who destroyed the computer systems a few months ago. As per the official Q&A published on the website of the agency, the ransomware attack was carried out on April 14, Sunday, and this is what happened:

‘’On Sunday, April 14, 2019, the City of Stratford became aware of a breach of its computer systems. It was determined that a malicious threat actor (attacker) was able to install and execute the malware on six of the City’s physical servers, as well as two virtual servers. The attacker then began encrypting the City’s systems, making them unavailable for use.’’

After the attack, all of the servers of the City Hall were disconnected from the internet and the user endpoints were disconnected from the network to prevent the spread of infection. Deloitte stepped in to help in managing and assessing the damage after the incident. However, no crucial information was stolen or lost as Mr. Kevvie Fowler who is the Global Incident Response Leader at Deloitte stated:

‘’Based on procedures performed and information available, Deloitte did not identify any evidence of loss, access or disclosure of PII in relation to the ransomware incident.’’

The negotiations were started with the hacker in a bid to try and access the City’s information systems. Two weeks after he hacked the systems, the government body returned to normal business operations. Mayor Dan Mathieson stated:

 “We have insurance coverage involved and we made that decision (to pay the ransom) in consultation with our insurer and in the best interests of protecting data.’’

Stratford City Council was advised at the beginning to pay the ransom by the insurance company since it was found to be ‘’acceptable’’ and in the best interest of the agency. During the 15-day period, the ransomware damaged the email and telephone systems of the government agency and also damaged the functions of the website. The mayor tried to give an explanation at first but the City Hall stated for the latest cryptocurrency news:

‘’The City of Stratford views cybersecurity and the security of personal information as a priority, and has security measures in place that are updated regularly. That includes a strong password policy, network segregation between servers and workstations, and minimal system privileges for users in the network.’’