The Ransomware Files

In 2019, 23 cities across Texas were infected with the REvil/Sodinokibi ransomware in one of the largest ransomware attacks that has ever occurred in the US. The cities recovered with remarkable speed due to the state's diligent preparation. But a small managed service provider called TSM Consulting, which the ransomware actors exploited in a supply-chain style attack, sustained irreparable damage. It's a heartbreaking story. This episode is going to reveal never-before-public details about the attack in Texas, how the state recovered so quickly and explore the human cost of ransomware.

Speakers: Rick Myers, Founder, TSM Consulting; Nancy Rainosek, Chief Information Security Officer, State of Texas; Mandy Crawford, Chief Information Officer, State of Texas; Andy Bennett, Former Deputy Chief Information Security Officer and now Vice President of Technology and Chief Information Security Officer with Apollo Information Systems; Danny Miller, Chief Information Security Officer, Texas A&M University System; Jeremy Kirk, Executive Editor, Information Security Media Group.

Source material and transcript for this episode are here.

Production Coordinator: Rashmi Ramesh.

The Ransomware Files theme song by Chris Gilbert/© Ordinary Weirdos Records.

Music by Uppbeat and Podcastmusic.com.

Follow The Ransomware Files on Twitter: @ransomwarefiles

Follow The Ransomware Files on Instagram: @theransomwarefiles

What if destructive malware disguised as ransomware nearly sank not just one company but many? Shipping giant Maersk was one of dozens of organisations crippled by the NotPetya malware in June 2017. Gavin Ashton and Bharat Halai worked in identity and access management at Maersk. They share how the company's technology team tirelessly brought the company back from an IT systems meltdown and rescued the company's sole surviving copy of Active Directory.

Speakers: Gavin Ashton, former Identity and Access Management Service Owner, Maersk; Bharat Halai, former Head of Identity and Access Management, Maersk; Jeremy Kirk, Executive Editor, Information Security Media Group.

Sources and transcript for this episode are here. 

Production Coordinator: Rashmi Ramesh.

The Ransomware Files theme song by Chris Gilbert/© Ordinary Weirdos Music .

"Soviet March" by Shane Ivers. Other music by Uppbeat.

Follow The Ransomware Files on Twitter: @ransomwarefiles

Follow The Ransomware Files on Instagram: @theransomwarefiles

Cybersecurity experts are increasingly worried about attacks and ransomware directed at the 70,000 water and wastewater facilities in the United States. In November 2020, the Hampton Roads Sanitation District, which serves 1.7 million people in eastern Virginia, was infected with the Ryuk ransomware. Fortunately, its operational technology systems were unaffected, and it recovered. Here's how HRSD fought back, and how think tanks and the federal government are studying ways to strengthen the defenses of this critical infrastructure sector.

Speakers: Ted Henifin, General Manager, HRSD; Roger Caslow, CISO, HRSD; Leila Rice, Director of Communications, HRSD; Anisea Burl, Accounts Payable Supervisor, HRSD; Mark Montgomery, Senior Director, Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; James Cratty, Acting Regional Director, Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency, Region 3; Jeremy Kirk, Executive Editor, Information Security Media Group.

Source material and transcript for this episode are here.

Sponsored by: Cofense

The Ransomware Files theme song and Be at Peace by Chris Gilbert/©Ordinary Weirdos Records.

Other music by Uppbeat.

Follow The Ransomware Files on Twitter: @ransomwarefiles

Follow The Ransomware Files on Instagram: @theransomwarefiles

Matthews is an Australian company that specializes in intelligent identification, labelling and inspection systems used by the food and beverage industry. In early 2020, it faced a "double extortion" attempt from ransomware actors. But Matthews fought back, recovered its data and saved its business. Matthews is one of hundreds of organizations in Australia that have been hit by ransomware, and the government is now taking action.

Speakers: Mark Dingley, CEO, Matthews; Ben Nichol, Supply Chain Logistics Manager, Matthews; Reece Corbett-Wilkins, Partner, Clyde & Co.; Jeremy Kirk, Executive Editor, Information Security Media Group.

Sponsored by: Cofense

Source material and transcript for this episode are here.

The Ransomware Files theme song by Chris Gilbert/© Ordinary Weirdos Records.

Music by Uppbeat.

Follow The Ransomware Files on Twitter: @ransomwarefiles

Follow The Ransomware Files on Instagram: @theransomwarefiles

Ski Kacoroski is a systems administrator with the Northshore School District in Bothell, Washington, which has 23,000 students. In 2019, the district was infected by Emotet and Trickbot, two notorious types of malware. Access to the district's systems was auctioned off twice by cybercriminals, and the district's system were eventually infected in September 2019 with the Ryuk ransomware. But the district recovered through tenacity and luck.

Speakers: Ski Kacoroski, Systems Administrator, Northshore School District; Jeremy Kirk, Executive Editor, Information Security Media Group.

The Ransomware Files theme song by Chris Gilbert/© Ordinary Weirdos Music. 

Other music by Uppbeat.

Follow The Ransomware Files on Twitter: @ransomwarefiles

Follow The Ransomware Files on Instagram: @theransomwarefiles

The Ransomware Files podcast tells the harrowing stories of IT pros who have fought back against ransomware, the greatest crime wave the Internet has ever seen.