videocam_off
This livestream is currently offline
Check back later when the stream goes live
Up next in 10
Join us as we delve into the gripping story of Fulton County Chairman Rob Pitts facing down a notorious ransomware attack. Learn about the threats, decisions, and consequences that shaped a major cyber crisis impacting the community. Can it happen again? Find out! #RansomwareAttack #CyberSecurity #FultonCounty #PublicSafety #TechCrime #RansomwareAwareness #CyberThreats #FBI #LockBit #DataProtection
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
[Music]
0:06
2024 could go down as the worst year yet
0:09
for ransomware attacks hackers gain
0:12
access to a computer server lock up all
0:14
the files and then demand payment to get
0:17
the victims back online well in
0:19
tonight's eye on America Usher Kari has
0:21
the inside story of how a public
0:23
official in Atlanta stared down one of
0:26
the world's most destructive cyber
0:28
criminals this incident has been
0:31
reported to law enforcement and is under
0:34
active investigation in Georgia last
0:36
January Fulton County chairman Rob pittz
0:39
found himself in a showdown staring at
0:41
criminals he couldn't see Fulton County
0:44
was under a ransomware attack so phones
0:46
courts everything was down everything
0:48
was shut down things that you take for
0:50
granted going to the library to check
0:51
out a book couldn't do it getting a
0:53
marriage license checking on your taxes
0:56
you couldn't do it did you feel like you
0:57
were being held hostage well we were
0:59
being held hostage ransomware criminals
1:01
are in the extortion business they hack
1:03
an organization's Network lock up the
1:05
data and then demand a ransom for the
1:07
keys attackers last year walked away
1:09
with a record $1 billion but the number
1:12
of organizations that pay has fallen
1:14
from over 80% to just about 30% today
1:18
what the hell is going on in Georgia the
1:21
stakes in Fulton County couldn't have
1:23
been higher 5 months earlier former
1:25
president Donald Trump and 18 others
1:27
were indicted in Fulton County charged
1:30
in connection with their efforts to
1:31
overturn the 2020 election the hackers
1:34
claim to have secret documents from the
1:36
case and threaten to make them public
1:38
how much were they asking several
1:40
several several millions of dollars we
1:42
do not encourage organizations to pay
1:45
the ransom but we understand it's a
1:47
business or an organizational decision
1:50
that has significant ramifications Ryan
1:53
vren is assistant director of the FBI
1:55
cyber division we negotiate for hostages
1:58
we don't negotiate with terrorists what
2:00
is the position with ransomware
2:01
criminals the FBI typically doesn't get
2:04
involved in negotiating with ransomware
2:07
actors a major russian-based ransomware
2:09
Syndicate called lock bit took
2:11
responsibility lock bit one of the most
2:14
prolific ransomware variants in the
2:16
world four months later the FBI indicted
2:18
lock bit's alleged ring leader Dimitri
2:20
horev who they said used the strange
2:23
sounding name online lock bits up this
2:26
would be the dark web specifically the
2:28
Russian dark web our team at CBS News
2:30
scoured hacker chat rooms online until
2:33
finally lock bit up answered he seemed
2:36
concerned about the FBI and told us they
2:38
had the wrong guy he claimed to be
2:40
apolitical and then bragged he is a wolf
2:43
who eats the weakest he is a formidable
2:46
adversary right but we have really good
2:48
people in the FBI as well and that's how
2:50
we've been able to get close to them and
2:52
this is what we dub the the war room
2:54
right here lockit ratcheted up its
2:56
threats in fton county for weeks
2:58
deadline number one came and passed get
3:01
another call deadline number two passes
3:04
but chairman pittz followed the FBI's
3:05
advice refusing to pay the ROM it's
3:08
taxpayers money and we certainly weren't
3:10
going to pay you know foot loose and
3:11
fancy free with our taxpayers money the
3:14
hackers faded
3:15
away and Fulton County pieced its
3:18
Network back together but Pitts knows it
3:20
was a roll of the dice these are not
3:22
high school kids in a basement playing
3:24
on a laptop that's not the case this is
3:26
a big big business could this happen to
3:30
again it could absolutely could a roll
3:32
of the dice that paid off for now for I
3:37
on America I'm AER Kishi in Atlanta
#Computers & Electronics
#Hacking & Cracking
#Network Security