3/7/17
by News Department on 03/07/17Cyber-Attack...
Pennsylvania's top state Senate Democrat said Monday that no ransom has been paid to resolve a cyber- attack that shut down the caucus' network and prompted an FBI investigation.
Senate Democrats' computer network, including their email system, remained inaccessible Monday, three days after the "ransomware" attack was discovered by technology staff who received an alert that the network had been breached.
A ransomware attack is typically aimed at stealing sensitive information in an attempt to be paid for the data's return, often in a digital currency.
Microsoft was doing a forensic audit to try to figure out who penetrated the network and how. Senators and staff who tried logging in initially received a message instructing them to click on a link for information on how to recover the data on their network.
The Philadelphia and Pittsburgh offices of the FBI were working on the case. A spokeswoman at the FBI's Philadelphia office said that, under Department of Justice policy, the agency will not provide any update on an ongoing investigation unless or until charges are filed.
