>>> TONIGHT, MASSACHUSETTS
COMMUNITIES TARGETED BY CYBER
THIEVES.
>> IF THEY HAVEN'T NOW THE ABOUT
IT.
I'M GOING TO SAY THEY'RE
PROBABLY ALREADY INFECTED.
THEY JUST DON'T KNOW IT.
>> THE INVESTIGATORS UNCOVERING
A SURPRISING NUMBER OF RANSOM
WEAR ATTACKS AROUND THE
COMMONWEALTH.
>> THEY HOLD VALUABLE FILES
HOSTAGE UNTIL YOU PAY UP.
>> WHY CITIES AND TOWNS ARE SO
VULNERABLE AND WHAT THEY SHOULD
BE DOING TO PROTECT TAXPAYER
MONEY.
>> THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS UNDER
SIEGE BY CYBER CRIMINALS.
>> FEDERAL AGENTS ARE
INVESTIGATING A CYBER ATTACK ON
THE CITY OF PENSACOLA.
>> THROUGH A SYSTEM WIDE OUTAGE
IN THE PAN HANDLE.
A HACKER FORCES THE CITY TO
FORCE OVER $10,000 IN BITCOIN.
>> LOCAL COMPANIES ARE PAYING
BIG FOR RANSOMWARE ATTACKS.
>> I CAME TO WORK, AND THE
SYSTEMS WEREN'T WORKING THAT
WELL.
>> HE TALKED ABOUT A DAY TWO
YEARS AGO, WHEN THE POLICE
STATION ITSELF WAS AFFECTED BY
CRIME.
>> WHEN YOU SEE THAT SCREEN,
WHAT IS THAT MOMENT LIKE?
>> LUCKILY THE TOWN HAD JUST
INVESTED IN THE BACKUP SYSTEM
AND AVOIDED PAYING THE RANSOM.
>> IT WAS HEART WRENCHING UNTIL
YOU REALIZE WE CAN FIX IT.
WITHOUT A BACKUP, WE WOULD HAVE
LOST DATA FROM 1992.
THAT'S A LOT OF DATA WE WOULD
HAVE LOST.
>> HOW DOES RANSOMWARE TAKE OVER
A WHOLE TOWN'S COMPUTER SYSTEM.
IT COULD BE AN EMAIL TELLING YOU
TO DOWNLOAD A FILE, THE NEXT
THING YOU KNOW, MALICIOUS CODE
SPREADS THROUGH YOUR COMPUTER
ENCRISTING THOUSANDS OF FILES.
ONCE THEY GET THEIR FOOT IN THE
DOOR, THEY CAN DISRUPT AN ENTIRE
NETWORK, LOCKING DOWN EVERY
COMPUTER OR SERVER LINKED TO AN
INFECTED MACHINE.
>> HOW QUICKLY CAN THAT HAPPEN?
>> SECONDS.
>> THIS IS KIND OF LIKE THE
NERVE CENTER.
>> A CYBER SECURITY BUSINESS
THAT MONITORS ATTACKS AROUND THE
GLOBE, TRIES TO STAY ONE STEP
AHEAD OF CYBER THIEVES AND HOPES
ITS CUSTOMERS DON'T GET A RANSOM
WEAR MESSAGE.
>> THEY PUT YOU ON A TICKING
TIMEBOMB.
>> TOWNS AND CITIES ARE
VULNERABLE BECAUSE THEY TEND TO
HAVE OUTDATED SYSTEMS.
>> ONE YOU'RE TARGETED, YOU
BECOME A TARGET FOR LIFE.
>> TO GAUGE HOW WIDESPREAD THE
PROBLEM IS, THE INVESTIGATORS
ASKED EVERY CITY AND TOWN IN
MASSACHUSETTS IF THEY'VE BEEN
INFECTED WITH RANSOM WEAR.
WE FOUND AT LEAST 1 IN 6 HAD
BEEN HACKED.
AND AT LEAST 10 COMMUNITIES
ADMITTED TO FORKING OVER
TAXPAYER MONEY.
PAYMENTS RANGING FROM THE
HUNDREDS TO THE THOUSANDS.
>> HOW PREVALENT IS THIS RIGHT
NOW?
>> DAVID TOLD US THE PROBLEM IS
ONLY GETTING WORSE BECAUSE
PEOPLE PANIC AND SEND THE MONEY.
>> YOU SHOULD NEVER PAY.
>> WE DON'T SUGGEST EVERY
PAYING.
>> THE MORE PEOPLE PAY, THE MORE
IT ENTICES THE CRIMINALS AND THE
RANSOMWARE CRIMINALS TO
CONTINUE.
>> A POLICE OFFICER TRANSFERRED
$4600 FROM HIS OWN BANK ACCOUNT