Hackers use Cryptoware Against Police for Bitcoin Ransom

Computer hackers have been attacking government offices and private industry for decades in the pursuit of extorting millions of U.S. Dollars. Now, the digital crime is gaining a new digital treasure for the a more advanced 21st century criminal underworld.

cryptowareSouth of Chicago, Illinois, the small Midlothian police department was subject to a criminal Cryptoware attack by an unknown hacker. The perpetrator disabled a police computer, rendering it inaccessible through his encryption program labeled Cryptoware. As far as police know, the computer’s information was not taken, and the computer was just disabled to net a ransom of $606, or about 2.4 BTC, at today’s rates.

“It didn’t encrypt everything in the police department. It was just that computer and specific files, not the entire system,” said Calvin Harden Jr., an information technology vendor who works with the small village, and worked with the police on overcoming this threat… CONTINUE