The DoJ cited two Iran residents of ransomware attacks called SamSam. They were behind the destruction of the Atlanta City in Georgia in March 2018 and also the Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital in February 2016.
Ransomware is the most harmful software — it shutdowns almost all the computers and any other computer-based equipment to work. It will shut to work until the attacker pays to the participation of criminal activity. It is installed to get money from the unaware businesses, and it comes under the criminal activity purely. This installation causes disruption and shutdowns corporate services as well as government services. Many of the US victims supported the campaign named substantial losses, as per the DoJ. The Justice Department has charged an alleged North Korean operative with involvement in the infamous hack of Sony Pictures in 2014, as well as last year’s devastating WannaCry ransomware attack.
The ransomware supported the Atlanta City in March 2018. It shut down all the government services for many days, and the city costs 17 million dollars. Most of the people heard about this ransomware in 2016 when it attacked Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, but now SamSam is the most severe attack. It got hit with a bad mark in the most malicious attacking software which can shut down the system facilities.
Radiation department cancer doctors cannot switch on their equipment nor can they access the patient’s medical records. They don’t even share their blood test or any other reports. This has continued until a week or more, and the hospital paid 17 thousand dollars to the criminals to get back the situation.
This situation made many of the hospitals to think about cybersecurity. And they even plan to believe how an attack can happen which is serving the public. So, it introduced the concept of ransomware to many people.
The two Iranians involved in the SamSam ransomware campaign. The DoJ has made ‘naming and shaming’ a priority to keep the pressure on these cryptocurrency countries.
This is not the 2018 first huge ransomware accusation; in September 2018 the Justice section has even charged a North Korean hacker for being included in the WannaCry ransomware movement. US law implementation linked the WannaCry hacker to a government-sponsored attack, however, according to Carpenito this SamSam accusation is different from the others.
