Report: Washington, DC Police CCTV Cameras Hacked Days Before Inauguration

Before Donald Trump’s Presidential Inauguration, hackers hacked 70% of Washington, D.C’s closed circuit TV cameras (CCTV). As a result, hackers infected over 100 police cameras with ransomware, according to the Washington Post.

The Washington Post reports that city officials revealed hackers were able to infect police cameras with ransomware. As a result, the cameras were unable to record for three days. Starting January 12th through January 15th, nearly 70% of closed-circuit TV systems were victims of the cyber attack. The CCTVs survey public areas across Washington, DC, the Washington Post reports.

However, a spokesperson for the Secret Service told reporters public safety was never in jeopardy.

The story continues by explaining that the city’s Chief Technology Officer, Archana Vemulapalli, said the city did not pay the ransom and solved the problems by removing all the software and restarting the system. Also, the Washington Post reports that the hack was only confined to police CCTV cameras and did not spread into other computer networks.

Hackers use ransomware to infect a computer and stop the device from working until the victim pay the ransom. This news comes after the Federal Bureau of Investigation released a 2016 report showing the number of ransomware attacks is on the rise. In the report, FBI’s Cyber Division Assistant Director James Trainor explained in the report that, “These criminals have evolved over time and now bypass the need for an individual to click on a link. They do this by

Rise of Ransomware

This news comes after the FBI released a 2016 report showing the number of ransomware attacks is on the rise. In the report, FBI’s Cyber Division Assistant Director James Trainor explains hackers take advantage of legitimate websites and infecting them with malware allowing for hackers to take advantage of vulnerable computers and users. Trainor added, “by paying a ransom, an organization might inadvertently be funding other illicit activity associated with criminals.”

However, despite the FBI’s warning, businesses are still paying ransoms. A study by the Ponemon Institute, “The Rise of Ransomware”, found that 48% of all firms that were victims of ransomware paid the ransom.