RTL Nederland paid 8,500 euros in bitcoin this month to regain access to computers, servers and systems that had been infected with ransomware by cyber criminals.
The criminals entered with stolen credentials from an employee of the remote network administrator, writes RTL News. There was no double security such as two-step verification, giving the attackers direct access to the network.
Editorial system flat
Employees discovered on September 9 that they could no longer access files. On some computers, a text appeared asking for a ransom payment.
The editorial system of RTL Nieuws was also unusable. RTL Nieuws made broadcasts for almost a week without an editorial system.
Back-ups
RTL immediately filed a report. In recent weeks, the criminals have been banned from the network with the help of security companies. The infected systems could be recovered thanks to the presence of backups.
RTL says it paid ransom to enable detection. Police advise against paying ransom, as it would encourage criminals to engage in ransomware.
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