If Debbie Wilmot could turn back time, the city of Lafayette would have scanned its computer network regularly. It would have hunted down and plugged holes that tempt cyber prowlers. And there would have been more training sessions to keep cybersecurity awareness high among the town’s 200 employees. The town of about 30,000 people is […]
malware
Posted inBusiness, News, Technology, Transportation
How SamSam ransomware took down CDOT and how the state fought back — twice
In the early hours of Feb. 21, 2018, malware began spreading rapidly throughout the Colorado Department of Transportation computer network. As employees turned on their computers, messages popped up on screens that files had been taken hostage. If users wanted them back, they would have to pay — in bitcoin. “The impact was fast and […]
Posted inBusiness, Crime and Courts, News, Politics and Government, Transportation
Two Iranians indicted in hacking scheme that held CDOT computers hostage and cost Colorado up to $2 million
A federal grand jury has indicted two Iranian men accused of holding the Colorado Department of Transportation’s computer system hostage earlier this year as part of a wide-reaching international computer hacking and extortion scheme. The malware infected critical systems nationwide, including hospitals, and extorted more than 200 victims who paid the attackers $6 million, according […]