The city of Durham, North Carolina recently shut down its network due to an attack by the Ryuk Ransomware. Ryuk is a ransomware developed by a Russian hacker that gains access to a network when someone opens a malicious email attachment. Upon gaining access, Ryuk is able to permeate network servers as files are shared between computers.
It is unclear whether data has been stolen at the moment; however, the attack forced Durham to shut down its 911 call center and to lose phone service for its Fire Department. Ryuk typically affects networks after the network has been affected by the TrickBot Trojan, an information-stealing data harvester that infects computers through a similar phishing process. The Ryuk Ransomware was also reportedly responsible for an attack in New Orleans in December 2019 and a recent attack against legal services giant Epiq Global.
Read More: Ryuk Ransomware Behind Durham, North Carolina Cyberattack