[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”434px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
At the time of writing, the Waikato DHB cyber-attack is ongoing. The government is refusing to pay the ransom as a point of principle, and it looks like every possible tool at their disposal is being used to try to recover the situation.<\/p>\n
Should they just pay the ransom?<\/strong> Or should the government go further and make it illegal to pay ransoms in New Zealand? That\u2019s the question that Minister Kris Faafoi is having to assess at the moment. DHB attack: Why Justice Minister Kris Faafoi won’t make it illegal to pay a cyber-ransom – NZ Herald<\/a><\/p>\n Cyber crime is big business. We\u2019ve called it organised crime in previous articles and we\u2019re happy to stick with that. These organisations recruit the best and brightest out of the top universities, and give them both the latest tools and time to wreak havoc. Their recruits are paid astronomical sums to work for them, overcoming any moral objections with immorally large pay checks. These paychecks are funded by the proceeds of previous hacks. Every time they are paid, their war chest is strengthened. For example, we recently saw the Colonial Pipeline in the eastern US get hacked for 75 bitcoins (just under US$4M) which went to a criminal group called \u2018Darkside\u201d.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="2_5" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content"][et_pb_image src="https:\/\/new.kinetics.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/waikato-dhb.png" title_text="waikato dhb" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content"][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure="1_2,1_2" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content"][et_pb_column type="1_2" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content"][et_pb_image src="https:\/\/new.kinetics.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Breifcase-full-of-money-scaled.jpg" title_text="Breifcase full of money" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content"][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content"][et_pb_image src="https:\/\/new.kinetics.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Hackerfingers-scaled.jpg" title_text="Hackerfingers" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content"][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content"][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.27.4" _module_preset="default" hover_enabled="0" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content" sticky_enabled="0"]<\/p>\n These criminals are smart and highly motivated. They seem to have no conscience but plenty of greed. Waikato is not only the hospital being brought down \u2013 there was a huge wave of hospital attacks in the US in October, just a few months ago – Several hospitals targeted in new wave of ransomware attacks – CNNPolitics.<\/a><\/p>\n I don\u2019t know how Waikato DHB got infected, but the rumour is that it was from phishing attacks onto machines that weren\u2019t fully patched up to date. We don\u2019t know if that is true, but it is a common attack vector. Once a hacker gets into a system, they often hold back and try to dig further looking for more vulnerabilities they can exploit. The more damage they can cause, the more ransom they can demand, so they will often use one vulnerability to find the next, and so on until they finally have enough to bring the house down.<\/p>\n Security is all about layers. There is NO way to prevent attacks, and it is impossible to guarantee that any system is invulnerable. We saw that with the recent Hafnium attack<\/a> where a vulnerability was exploited before patches were available to block it. But the more layers of security, the harder you make it, and you reduce the scope of any harm.<\/p>\n Today, even if you have the best backups and can recover the system, the hackers then threaten to release the data you hold to media or competitors. In the case of the Waikato DHB, it is being reported that personal data is being released to media by the hackers to increase pressure, even as they fail to stand their systems up.<\/p>\n As to paying the ransom, I suspect your perspective changes when your business, your job or livelihood is threatened.\u00a0 Not an easy decision and hopefully <\/span>one we can avoid by being paranoid.<\/span><\/p>\nSo, will cutting off payments stop their attacks by removing the incentive?<\/h3>\n