unknown attacks The Brown Firm
Incident Date:
March 15, 2016
Overview
Title
unknown attacks The Brown Firm
Victim
The Brown Firm
Attacker
Unknown
Location
First Reported
March 15, 2016
Ransomware Attack Hits The Brown Firm in Florida
Thomas Brown of The Brown Firm in Florida was yet another victim of a ransomware attack which encrypted his data, leaving him out of business and without access to his data. The cybercriminals demanded $2500 in bitcoin for the decryption key. The firm said that they had to pay up or lose all their data so they paid up – and got the decryption key.
Since the incident, the firm has improved computer firewalls and replaced passwords with passphrases that are regularly changed, according to the article in the Jacksonville Daily Record. The firm has also installed an isolated server that is used to back up files each day.
The Rising Cost of Ransomware Decryption
The average price to get a decryption key used to be $300-$500 – looks like the price tag is on the rise. It might be a whole lot cheaper to make sure your backup is impervious to ransomware so you can tell those who want you to pay a ransom to pound sand.
Recent Ransomware Attacks
The Recent Ransomware Attacks (RRA) site acts as a watchtower, providing you with near real-time ransomware tracking of attacks, groups and their victims. Given threat actors’ overarching, lucrative success so far, ransomware attacks have become the most ubiquitous, and financially and informationally impactful cyber threat to businesses and organizations today.
The site’s data is generated based on hosting choices of real-world threat actors, and a handful of other trackers. While sanitization efforts have been taken, we cannot guarantee 100% accuracy of the data. Attack updates will be made as source data is reported by reputable sources. By viewing, accessing, or using RRA you acknowledge you are doing so at your own risk.