The Westfield Fire District in Middleton, CT this week confirmed it notified victims of a November 2024 data breach that compromised their personal info. Ransomware gang Medusa claimed responsibility for the breach on December 12, 2024, but Westfield Fire District has not verified Medusa’s claim.
In a blog post reporting this news, Paul Bischoff, Consumer Privacy Advocate at Comparitech, wrote:
“Medusa is a ransomware gang that first surfaced in September 2019. It debuted its leak site in February 2023, where it publishes stolen data of victims who don’t pay ransoms. Medusa often uses a double-extortion approach in which victims are forced to pay both to unlock their systems and for Medusa to not sell or publish stolen data. In 2024, Medusa claimed responsibility for 68 confirmed ransomware attacks compromising nearly 2.4 million records. Its average ransom demand is $576,000.”
“In 2024, Comparitech researchers logged 93 confirmed ransomware attacks on US government entities, which compromised more than 2.4 million records. In 2025 so far, we’ve tracked 20 such attacks. The average ransom is just over $2.1 million.”
“Ransomware attacks on US government agencies and departments can both steal data and lock down computer systems. The attacker then demands a ransom to delete the stolen data and in exchange for a key to recover infected systems. If the target doesn’t pay, it could take weeks or even months to restore systems, and people whose data was stolen are put at greater risk of fraud. Ransomware can disrupt everything from communications to billing, payroll, and online services.”
Every single day I am writing about a ransomware attack. That alone should make it crystal clear that this is a problem that is a “right now” problem. Because ransomware gangs are running the show right now and that must not be allowed to continue.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
This entry was posted on May 8, 2025 at 2:23 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Hacked. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
The Westfield Fire District Has Apparently Been Pwned By The Medusa Ransomware Gang
The Westfield Fire District in Middleton, CT this week confirmed it notified victims of a November 2024 data breach that compromised their personal info. Ransomware gang Medusa claimed responsibility for the breach on December 12, 2024, but Westfield Fire District has not verified Medusa’s claim.
In a blog post reporting this news, Paul Bischoff, Consumer Privacy Advocate at Comparitech, wrote:
“Medusa is a ransomware gang that first surfaced in September 2019. It debuted its leak site in February 2023, where it publishes stolen data of victims who don’t pay ransoms. Medusa often uses a double-extortion approach in which victims are forced to pay both to unlock their systems and for Medusa to not sell or publish stolen data. In 2024, Medusa claimed responsibility for 68 confirmed ransomware attacks compromising nearly 2.4 million records. Its average ransom demand is $576,000.”
“In 2024, Comparitech researchers logged 93 confirmed ransomware attacks on US government entities, which compromised more than 2.4 million records. In 2025 so far, we’ve tracked 20 such attacks. The average ransom is just over $2.1 million.”
“Ransomware attacks on US government agencies and departments can both steal data and lock down computer systems. The attacker then demands a ransom to delete the stolen data and in exchange for a key to recover infected systems. If the target doesn’t pay, it could take weeks or even months to restore systems, and people whose data was stolen are put at greater risk of fraud. Ransomware can disrupt everything from communications to billing, payroll, and online services.”
Every single day I am writing about a ransomware attack. That alone should make it crystal clear that this is a problem that is a “right now” problem. Because ransomware gangs are running the show right now and that must not be allowed to continue.
Share this:
Like this:
Related
This entry was posted on May 8, 2025 at 2:23 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Hacked. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.