Black Basta Ransomware Gang Attacks American Dental Association

A new high-profile ransomware gang might be on the rise. Recently, the American Dental Association (ADA) was hit by a massive ransomware attack, which took down tons of their systems, while simultaneously encrypting important files. The threat responsible for the attack has been identified as the Black Basta Ransomware, and it appears to be the first active case of this particular ransomware family. The hackers behind the attack demand a ludicrous ransom amount of 2.7 million, and they follow the strategy of other high-profile ransomware gangs at the moment.

The attack took place in late April, and resulted in downtime for all ADA systems such as emails, Web chat, telephones, and online services. What is even scarier is that the culprits have not only encrypted data – they also managed to steal sensitive documents and information prior to encrypting it.

So far, the Black Basta Ransomware have released almost 3GB of documents on their public website, revealing private ADA documents such as NDAs, spreadsheets, and W2 forms. The criminals states that the data leaks will only stop if the victims agree to pay the ransom fee. Ransomware attacks like this one are a major problem for companies and institutions worldwide, especially because attackers tend to steal sensitive data. Protecting networks from the Black Basta Ransomware attacks, requires the use of specialized antivirus software, and proper employee training on how to navigate the Web safely.