Arkansas-based telemarketing firm The Heritage Company suffered a ransomware attack two months ago, which may mean the end of the 61-year-old business. Even though the company paid the ransom, it was forced to suspend operations indefinitely on December 23. On January 2, the over 300 employees of the firm were told that recovery efforts are still ongoing, but that the company does “not want to prevent you from searching for other employment.”
The ransom amount has not been disclosed, but the company acknowledged that the total costs of the attack, which include the ransom paid and the ongoing recovery efforts, are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The incident serves as a grave reminder that a ransomware infection can bankrupt a company that isn’t properly prepared to handle a major cyber incident, even if management decides to pay the attackers.
Read more: Ransomware Attack Topples Telemarketing Firm, Leaving Hundreds Jobless
