[Music] In today's interconnected world, technologies become an integral part of our daily
lives. Between smartphones and laptops we rely on technology for communication, entertainment,
work, and much more; and while it's clear to see how beneficial technology can be to us, it has
also made us more vulnerable to cyber attacks. From simple computer viruses and anti-malware software
to complete hacking groups and cyber security firms, the digital landscape has proven to be
a Battleground for those seeking to do harm and those working to protect against it. By now, you've
all heard about the massive data breaches where millions of users information was compromised or
the cases where a company's integral files were held for ransom, but what happens when
the target is even bigger? Like an entire city? while it might not be as public, the government
struggles from cyber attacks just the same as we do. The only difference is the stakes if they
aren't successful in defending them. When they are you'll never hear about it, but the few times the
hackers do make it through the consequences are dire. Today we'll be taking a look at these times
when the cyber defenses weren't enough. and cities were held for ransom.
Before we take a look at these cyber attacks I'd first like to thank today's video sponsor
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To actually understand how these cities managed to be held hostage by a group of hackers, we
first need to understand what ransomware is. Ransomware is a type of malicious software
that encrypts a victims files and demands payment in exchange for restoring the files.
You might be familiar with the kind of ransomware that targets individuals like the jigsaw virus I
showcased in one of my recent videos, but over the past decade we've seen ransomware hone in
on public institutions like schools, hospitals, and government agencies. The logic behind this
targeting is simple. Although there might be a much larger Financial incentive to Target
private companies, a payout only matters if it's actually secured. When dealing with a government
system that is a vast amount of sensitive data and operations that cannot be interrupted the
incentive to pay goes up. In addition, plenty of public institutions are known for running
on decades old tech and outdated security philosophies that make them an easy Target.
this was exactly the case with Atlanta Georgia in 2018. Despite criticisms of the city's Readiness
to deal with a cyber security breach the Atlanta government had been dragging their feet on the
matter. In January of 2018 this became undeniable, when an audit revealed that there were up to 2000
vulnerabilities in key City systems. Experts were worried and rightfully so, but still the
government employees carried on as usual, because the usual didn't seem to be a problem.
Systems could be slow and their usability could be questionable, but without top level changes there
was little else to do. That was of course until one morning on March 22nd when the usual was disrupted.
The attack first became apparent when five major Municipal departments quickly found
themselves locked out of their computers, unable to use vital systems. As early as the next day
the news was reporting on claims that it seemed to be the samsam ransomware virus.
To most of the employees and most of the city this didn't mean much, however this was the same virus
that had brought towns like Farmington New Mexico to a standstill and held files for ransom at the
Colorado Department of Transportation. But those seemed like smaller cogs and a bigger machine
Atlanta it was a whole city a state capital at that. It was the machine. The Ransom was set at
fifty two thousand dollars worth of bitcoin, but Atlanta didn't pay and so the consequences came.
Utility bills couldn't be paid, important legal documents could be accessed and even a week
after the incident, police reports were still being recorded by hand. The judicial system was in chaos
with any Court appearances for individuals not currently in custody being indefinitely delayed.
Departments that depended on 20 computers now had to make do with whatever laptops the city could
cough up, and at Hartsfield-Jackson the busiest airport in the world, Wi-Fi networks were going out.
Eventually more news outlets picked up on the story, and people started to worry that
a large-scale data breach had occurred. Early statements from authorities shot this claim
down but would later backtrack and imply that only a small amount of information was taken.
The city responded by Distributing documents to as many of the 8 000 public employees as
possible. All of them stressed a single fact do not, under any circumstance turn on the computers.
Four days after the attack began the mayor would make a statement: "I just want to make a point that
this is much bigger than a ransomware attack this really is an attack on our government, which means
it's an attack on all of us. No Ransom was ever paid by the city of Atlanta, though it's unclear if
they even could have, as shortly after the ransom went out the payment portal was taken offline
by the hackers themselves. Among the data lost or police dash cam footage important legal documents,
court information and even months later more than a third of the programs used by the city were
still disabled or offline altogether. There was at least some closure when it came to the attackers
themselves though with two Iranian hackers part of the samsam group indicted for the attack, but
even with that a major US city had proven itself out of its element in the world of cyber security.
Above all else that was what concerned of Security Experts. That the successful attack
would embolden cyber criminals and encourage more hacks on large cities. Those fears would
prove to be fair. Only a year after the Atlanta incident, the city of Baltimore would be locked
by a variant of the ransomware called Robinnhood The Ransom was set at 13 Bitcoins or 76 thousand
dollars at the time. Once again on the low end to incite prompt payment. An initial Ransom note drew a
deadline of four days in the sand if the city did not comply the price would subtly rise, until the
hackers would delete any and all the data they had at day 10. At this point some of you might
be thinking that they should just pay the ransom to avoid another case like Atlanta, but that isn't
exactly true. Paying the ransom is something that should only ever be done if absolutely necessary,
as once you pay it the hackers most likely won't give your files back and it also encourages the
act of ransomware attacks by awarding them with compensation. Baltimore stuck to this principle and
didn't pay, and so again the consequences came. Although specifics are hard to find, the scope
of this attack seemed to affect considerably more institutions and services including the Baltimore
Police Department, the Department of Transportation, the animal rescue and Care shelter, tax payment
services, housing transactions, and much more. Once again the city was forced to resort to pen and
paper try and keep core Services up and running while slowly getting their systems back online.
It ended up taking almost two weeks before some sense of normalcy returned to Baltimore the entire
process lasted all the way until September over four months later. Even now the city is not fully
recovered with the real estate market taking a dip from housing transactions being disabled,
and a still growing cost of more than 18 million dollars pledged for restoration efforts. In the end
many couldn't help but think the city would have just been better off paying the ransom.
In the aftermath of these attacks, both cities were left in a strange place,
but their failings could be a wake-up call to others as we become more and
more reliant on technology. The only real way to mitigate these attacks is by implementing top
level security systems and training. If we don't, the consequences will just keep coming.
Take an earlier ransomware attack of the Baltimore Police Department, where 9-1-1 emergency response
systems were disrupted for an entire weekend. It points to dangerous possibilities; gas and
heating systems could be turned off in deep winters or medical histories could become an
accessible at critical moments. Public Health could lose Data Tracking diseases and breaches
in the Integrity of Water and Power infrastructure could cause immense damage. Infinite possibilities
with infinite consequences and it just might be coming to a city near you. Thanks for watching
thank you
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