Cyber Crime
Royal Ransomware: Dallas City Services Disrupted by Ransomware Attack, Including 911 Dispatch Systems
The City of Dallas in Texas has confirmed that it has fallen victim to a ransomware attack, causing widespread service outages, including the city’s 911 dispatch systems. According to city officials, several of the city’s servers have been compromised with ransomware, and the Dallas Police Department (DPD) website is currently offline.
The attack has also impacted Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems used by dispatchers and 911 operators to prioritize and record incident calls, causing 911 call takers to manually write down instructions for responding officers. However, DPD spokesperson Melinda Gutierrez stated that there is no effect on 911 calls at this time, and police response has not been affected.
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The Royal ransomware gang has claimed responsibility for the attack, and printers on the City of Dallas network began printing out ransom notes on Wednesday morning. The note stated that critical data was encrypted, and threatened to publish it online if a ransom demand is not met. It’s not yet known what types of data has been stolen, and the City of Dallas has not yet responded to questions from TechCrunch.
The Royal ransomware gang, which emerged in early 2022, has targeted multiple victims in the US and internationally, including manufacturing, communications, education, and healthcare organizations. After gaining access to victims’ networks, typically via callback phishing, the group disables antivirus software and exfiltrates large amounts of data before deploying the ransomware and encrypting systems. Subsequent ransom demands made by the group vary from $1 million to $11 million.
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What Is Royal Ransomware
Royal Ransomware is a type of malware that is used by cybercriminals to encrypt the files on a victim’s computer, rendering them inaccessible until a ransom is paid. The ransom is usually demanded in cryptocurrency and can range from thousands to millions of dollars.
The Royal Ransomware gang typically gains access to victims’ networks through a technique known as “callback phishing”, which involves sending emails to victims claiming that they will be charged for a service and asking them to call a listed phone number for clarification. Once inside the network, the group disables antivirus software and exfiltrates large amounts of data before deploying the ransomware and encrypting systems.
If the victim does not pay the ransom, the Royal Ransomware gang threatens to publish the stolen data online. The group has targeted multiple victims both in the U.S. and internationally, including manufacturing, communications, education, and healthcare organizations.
The City of Dallas has yet to confirm whether the hackers have made any financial demands. Meanwhile, the city said it was actively working to isolate the ransomware to prevent its spread, remove it from infected servers, and restore any impacted services. The full impact of the attack remains unknown, but the city said that the impact on the delivery of city services to its residents is currently limited.
According to ransomware expert Brett Callow, there have been 29 reported cyberattacks targeting local governments in the US this year alone. TechCrunch contacted CISA and the FBI regarding the City of Dallas ransomware incident but has not yet received a response. The incident serves as a reminder of the growing threat of ransomware attacks, and the need for organizations to take cybersecurity seriously to prevent such attacks from happening.
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