Hackers Leak Sensitive Data On Twitter After Baltimore Decides Not To Pay The Bitcoin Ransom

Hackers Leak Sensitive Data On Twitter After Baltimore Decided Not To Pay A Bitcoin Ransom

According to a recent report released by The Baltimore Sun, officials are investigating a new Bitcoin (BTC) ransomware attack that affected Baltimore City last month. As the attackers didn’t receive the ransom requested in BTC, they’ve decided to share private information on Twitter.

Ransomware Attack Affects Baltimore City

As per The Baltimore Sun, attackers shared sensitive documents on Twitter since they didn’t receive the requested funds from Baltimore City. The account is now suspended but it shared information about a woman’s medical history. They have also claimed they have other sensitive documents.

A spokesperson from the mayor’s office explained that the attackers do not have access to personal information. At the same time, the hacker could have also threatened to leak documents on the dark web.

This ransomware attack started in May and was able to affect different computers of the local government. Indeed, just one-third of the Baltimore City employees were able to have their access to their computers restored.

This has affected the whole city because some systems became unavailable and the data stored on them couldn’t be accessed. The Baltimore Sun explains that a real estate business had to figure out how to deal with a payment process that was paused. Moreover, home buyers were not able to move in as their property settlements were postponed indefinitely.

Apparently, the attacker was requesting $76,000 in Bitcoin, but the mayor refused to pay this ransom. However, the attack seems to have had an effect of $18 million for taxpayers.

Ransomware attacks became very famous around the world. Some users were affected by these attacks while others were able to detect them before creating any problem to the users. It is always advised not to open emails from unknown addresses. Moreover, it is always recommended to keep virtual currencies in cold storage wallets as well.