Last Thursday October 28th hackers hit the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) with a Ransomware attack. While the TTC claimed they were not affected terribly, the users of the system suffered some discomfort.
But the people who really suffered were those who use the TTC Wheel-Trans service. This service is for disabled people, it helps them get to appointments, do their shopping, etc. Without this service many people who desperately rely on it where left stranded. In the article below you can read and watch the video of users affected. This is heartbreaking to think of.
Do you think that the hackers take any of this into consideration before launching their attacks? No, of course they don’t! They are not worried about how adversely they’re affecting people. All they care about is getting the money for their ransom.
I wonder how they would feel, that’s assuming they have a conscience, if someone in their family were so heavily affected by an attack?
I wrote a blog a while ago about hackers going after infrastructure and they are and will continue to no matter who it affects. Hospitals are already prime targets, now its a transit system in a large city. What about when it’s a city’s electrical grid, or traffic systems or your business, what will you do then.
The time to protect yourself is now, I will keep saying it because it’s the only way you will be able to survive the attack. The upfront cost to protect your business is nothing compared to the list of other costs to your business.