The U.S. Department of Justice Indicts Two Iranians of Deploying SamSam Ransomware

cageymaru

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The U.S. Department of Justice has unsealed an indictment of two Iranians for computer hacking and deploying a crippling style of ransomware called "SamSam Ransomware" onto American and Canadian public institutions such as hospitals and municipalities. Faramarz Shahi Savandi, 34, and Mohammad Mehdi Shah Mansouri, 27, are accused of writing and installing the malware on various mission critical systems over a period of 34 months by exploiting vulnerabilities in the computer networks. They face charges consisting of "one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with computers, two substantive counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, and two substantive counts of transmitting a demand in relation to damaging a protected computer."

The malware encrypted the data and files on the computer systems of the victims. They maximized the damage to systems by launching attacks outside of business hours and encrypting the backups of the victim's computers first. More than 200 public and private institutions were affected by the malware and the duo used extortion tactics to demand that a ransom be paid in Bitcoin. They converted the Bitcoin into Iranian rial using Iran-based Bitcoin exchangers. The criminals bilked more than $6 million USD from the institutions and caused over $30 million in damages. "Although the alleged criminal actors are in Iran and currently out of the reach of U.S. law enforcement, they can be apprehended if they travel, and the United States is exploring other avenues of recourse."

Victims were infected with the ransomware through vulnerabilities found in common software and network accesses points. Hess stressed the importance of computer security and hygiene for individuals and corporations. "We all need to do our part to make sure that our systems are as strong and secure and protected as possible," she said.
 
Forget about them. Come invade Trinidad. We got plenty of oil and gas. We are absolutley affraid of 2080Tis, 9900Ks and 4K IPS Gsync panels. Put on of each in every home and we'll surrender.
Ha lol.
 
All of the major Western intelligence agencies were convinced that they had WMDs. The intelegence failure wasn't just that of the US. My source comes from someone who was a GS-13 in the US Intelligence services at the time.

My assumption is that Saddam wanted to scare the West into not attacking them and made it look like that they had WMDs and their plan backfired. Woops.
 
Whenever I hear stories like this, especially when it falls on or near Friday, I immediately start crawling around the internet to see what news is being suppressed by this distraction. Well looky here...

Deutsche Bank headquarters raided over money laundering

G.M. to Idle Plants and Cut Thousands of Jobs as Sales Slow

Senate votes to move forward bill to end U.S. support for war in Yemen

...and my favorite so far of the bunch.

Cohen Pleads Guilty and Details Trump’s Involvement in Moscow Tower Project

What all this has in common gentleman is that it shines a negative light on the current administration, and this is a text book maneuver to distract the country and keep the media focused on galvanizing support for another potential regime change. Every administration has been doing this since Clinton in office so this is no surprise by now. I'm also curious to see what potential news might be sprung out tomorrow in case this is announcement is supposed to precede something else. Either way, what these two Iranians are being accused is nothing compared the digital espionage and attacks we've done since the Patriot Act.
 
I have always had the opinion that if foreigners commit a crime in another country they should be prosecuted and convicted using the rules of their home country in which case this 2 guys will be chop chop head off.
Where i live we have many criminals that we cant send home to serve their sentence as prison systems are too bad there ( by out standards ) this are apparently even to other EU countries.
Also we cant send criminals home that have also committed a crime in their home country as the penalty they face there are too severe as dictated by our spineless society.
Though it don't seem to do all that much good, a international arrest warrant should be issued for these 2 creeps, that should at least keep them in the hellhole they call home.

Sadly my own little country seem to be center stage in what could well be the worlds largest money laundry operation, and we should be punished hard by the international society for our ineptitude.
 
"Hess stressed the importance of computer security and hygiene for individuals and corporations."

What a joke, if you're going to say that then provide a case study for why the failure occurred and a proper way to deal with it.

All they do is provide a link saying yea keep your systems up to date

And if it's simply the case the companies had no idea about basic security principles then it's just as much the companies fault
 
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