Writings on infosec, technology and life

Things I watched, read, played, got into, enjoyed, or did and would do again, in 2024.

Lincoln College President David Gerlach said a ransomware attack made it harder to combat declining enrollment, fueling a decision to close the school.

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center paid a $17,000 ransom in bitcoin to a hacker who seized control of the hospital's computer systems and would give back access only when the money was paid, the hospital's chief executive said Wednesday.

The Justice Department announced today a disruption campaign against the Blackcat ransomware group — also known as ALPHV or Noberus — that has targeted the computer networks of more than 1,000 victims and caused harm around the world since its inception, including networks that support U.S. critical infrastructure.

I really enjoyed the notion of "Key Time Indicators" in this article. The same author also has 2024 -- a year in reading.

It’s the last day of the year, just in time to write my now-customary year in review article. Does anyone actually read these, or am I just writing them for myself? It doesn’t really matter either way, as I mainly do write them for myself. I do enjoy looking back at previous years and see what has changed and what has stayed the same.

After being hit with ransomware, one city faced a tough decision.

FBI Boston's Joseph Bonavolonta address the Cyber Security Summit on October 21st. Bonavolonta said that paying the ransom is often the easiest path out of ransomware infections.

Some 80% of businesses that choose to pay to regain access to their encrypted systems experience a subsequent ransomware attack, amongst which 46% believe it to be caused by the same attackers.

A look back through my journey around the sun

Chris Shiflett is an entrepreneur, product designer, and web developer.

More than half (56%) of ransomware victims paid the ransom to restore access to their data last year, according to a global study of 15,000 consumers conducted by global security company Kaspersky.

OFAC administers a number of different sanctions programs. The sanctions can be either comprehensive or selective, using the blocking of assets and trade restrictions to accomplish foreign policy and national security goals.

Starter Projects — Eleventy

The attack on Colonial Pipeline has focused new attention on a potentially radical proposal to stem the growing threat posed by ransomware: making it illegal for victims to pay their attackers.

As cyber-attacks intensify around the world, two experts argue for or against a ban on payments