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Atlanta, Hit by Ransomware Attack, Also Fell Victim To Leaked NSA Exploits (zdnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the closer-look dept.

Zack Whittaker, reporting for ZDNet: It's been almost a week since the City of Atlanta was hit by a ransomware attack, which encrypted city data and led to the shutdown of some services. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a press conference Monday that the city's government is working on recovering the network after ransom notes appeared on computer displays on Thursday afternoon. The city has hired local cybersecurity firm SecureWorks to assess the situation. Reports say the notorious SamSam ransomware was used in the Atlanta attack, which exploits a deserialization vulnerability in Java-based servers.

[...] But according to one security firm, last week's cyberattack was not a surprise because the city had fallen victim to leaked government exploits used in the WannaCry outbreak. New data provided by Augusta, Ga.-based cybersecurity firm Rendition Infosec, seen by ZDNet, shows that the city's network was silently infected last year with leaked exploits developed by the National Security Agency. The cybersecurity firm's founder Jake Williams said at least five internet-facing city servers were infected with the NSA-developed DoublePulsar backdoor in late April to early May 2017. That was more than a month after Microsoft released critical patches for the exploits and urged users to install.

3 of 75 comments (clear)

  1. One Billion dollars. . . . by Salgak1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    . . . or we re-name all the streets "Peachttree". . .

    Oops, too late. . . (grin)

    1. Re:One Billion dollars. . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      . . . or we re-name all the streets "Peachttree". . .

      Oops, too late. . . (grin)

      No, only every other block.

      Seriously.

      Ever been to Atlanta? Travel two or three miles straight on the same damn road, make no turns. And the fucking road changes names four or five times.

      But yeah, half of the names will be "Peachtree Something" - "Peachtree Blossom", "Twin Peachtree", "Buzzard's Perch Peachtree", "Peachtree Peachpit", "Peachtree on Cowpie Hill", "Dead Peachtree", "Peachtree with a Rotting Cat Carcass", "Peachtree with a Dead Parrot Nailed in Place"....

  2. I live in the Atlanta suburbs and my favorite part by sabbede · · Score: 5, Funny

    is how the new Mayor's name is a command. "Keisha, lance bottoms." She should have been a nurse.