Florida: an insurer pays a ransom to cybercriminals

The victim of a cyberattack, Riviera Bach, a town North of Miami, Florida, has agreed to pay a ransom of 65 bitcoins (592 000 USD) to hackers. It is the City Council which voted the decision. In the end, the municipality's insurer will make the payment.

According to the Pal Beach Post newspaper, the piracy act took place on May 29, 2019 after the opening by a municipal police officer of a "phishing email". A malicious software subsequently spread to all computer systems in the city.

The municipality had to resort to archaic methods to continue operating. The payment of salaries was made by check and fines were handwritten. Worse still, the computer virus has also affected emergency centers and water utility pump stations.

The payment of the ransom does not guarantee the recovery of all hacked data.

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