Ransomware Hackers Have Started Leaking City Of Pensacola Data

It didn’t take long for the hackers to make good on that threat. A 2GB archive was posted on a public website just days ago. It represents just over 6% of the total data the ransomware exfiltrated from the Pensacola network.

The Maze Group told the staff of Bleeping Computer that the release wasn’t necessarily about increasing the pressure on the City. Instead they claimed the point was to counter claims in the media that data heists on this scale wasn’t part of the Maze ransomware playbook.

If that wasn’t already abundantly clear, it certainly is now. The group amassed more than 32GB of data from the City of Pensacola’s infected systems.

This threat of release dramatically increases the potential harm from a ransomware attack. The City isn’t merely facing the prospect of permanently losing access to data encrypted by Maze.

Now officials also have to weigh the damage that would be caused by the release of the stolen files. They could number in the tens of thousands and almost certainly contain high sensitive information.

However small the percentage of sensitive files might be, the decision-making process becomes that much more difficult. It’s no longer just about restoring lost data and cleaning up infected computers.

This change in approach has prompted the FBI to offer companies new advice on how to deal with ransomware threats. The bureau now says that companies should consider proactively creating caches of dummy data — which could make it harder for attackers to successfully steal genuinely important files during a hack.

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Earlier this month the government of the city of Pensacola, Florida fell victim to the Maze ransomware. The group behind the incident threatened to start releasing files if a $1 million payment wasn’t made.

It didn’t take long for the hackers to make good on that threat. A 2GB archive was posted on a public website just days ago. It represents just over 6% of the total data the ransomware exfiltrated from the Pensacola network.

The Maze Group told the staff of Bleeping Computer that the release wasn’t necessarily about increasing the pressure on the City. Instead they claimed the point was to counter claims in the media that data heists on this scale wasn’t part of the Maze ransomware playbook.

If that wasn’t already abundantly clear, it certainly is now. The group amassed more than 32GB of data from the City of Pensacola’s infected systems.

This threat of release dramatically increases the potential harm from a ransomware attack. The City isn’t merely facing the prospect of permanently losing access to data encrypted by Maze.

Now officials also have to weigh the damage that would be caused by the release of the stolen files. They could number in the tens of thousands and almost certainly contain high sensitive information.

However small the percentage of sensitive files might be, the decision-making process becomes that much more difficult. It’s no longer just about restoring lost data and cleaning up infected computers.

This change in approach has prompted the FBI to offer companies new advice on how to deal with ransomware threats. The bureau now says that companies should consider proactively creating caches of dummy data — which could make it harder for attackers to successfully steal genuinely important files during a hack.