According to the Boston Globe, the Tewksbury, Massachusetts, police department was so desperate to get the information from their computers that had been encrypted by hackers, they ended up paying the requested sum of $500 for the decryption key. And they aren't the only police department that has resorted to paying hackers in so-called "ransomware" schemes. From the Globe:
"At first, the problems with the Tewksbury Police Department system — difficulty calling up arrest and incident records — seemed to be just the usual system crankiness. No big deal.
But it persisted, and a technician was called in.That was when the menacing message popped up on the screen, an explanation in the form of a ransom note:
“Your personal files are encrypted,” it read. “File decryption costs ~ $500.”
It continued: “If you really value your data, then we suggest you do not waste valuable time searching for other solutions because they do not exist."
Because they hadn't backed up their systems, the Tewksbury Police were in a terrible position. Read the rest of the story, as well as that of the other U.S. police departments that have fallen victim to the same schemes, at the Boston Globe.
Comments (1)
I feel sorry for the ones who have abnormally, tragically mutated tastebuds and think that warm, mushy pineapple is an excellent compliment to pepperoni and tomato sauce. The juice of the pineapple itself takes over, muting and mutilating the otherwise deliciousness of the pizza, the worlds most perfect food. Never let these people pick restaurants, meals, recipes... basically any decision that has to do with food. You just never know what abstract concoction they'll think is reasonable. While they're going "mmmm, isn't this delicious?" you're wondering how you can fake an illness out of the blue, or how you can sneakily dispose of what's on your plate. Where is that hungry dog that is otherwise always staring up at me from under the table while I'm eating? Even it has run away from such a culinary disaster, that it's pretending it needs another nap.
Standalone pineapple as a snack on a beautiful summers day however, is absolute perfection.