Florida city agrees to pay ransomware hackers $600,000 to unlock its data

[wiyosaya]

*IF* you're going to payout profits to fix system wide issues, THEN you have the opportunity to create meaningful change instead of just plugging holes in the archaic dam.

Hopefully, the IT department is both capable and is allowed to do something that would harden their systems against any future attacks like this. No offense intended, of course.

IMO, paying the ransom only makes them a likely target for the same kind of attack regardless of what countermeasures they take. Their IT department may have their hands full in the future.

 

[Mekronid]

"city officials agreed to spend $941,000 on 310 new desktops and 90 laptops to rebuild its IT systems"

Either this report is missing details or that is a big overspend.

90 laptops at $1,500 each = $135,000
310 desktops at $750 each = $232,500
Total = $367,500

Even if I am a little light on my costs, their spend is very high for what they got.

Leftover: 573500
Ransom: "About" 592000

Is someone padding the losses for insurance fraud? Hmmm...